


Five Clans

by SilverHyena



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 'Til they change into a werewolf or what not anyway, A/B/O Stuff Applies to Werewolf Characters Only, Alpha Stephen Strange, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Eventual Smut, Everyone looks human, I'm Bad At Titles, Lots of plot, M/M, Magic, More than you probably wanted, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Peter Quill, Plot, Primarily Stephen/Quill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22586377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHyena/pseuds/SilverHyena
Summary: When Peter Quill accepts a job to steal a book from Stephen Strange, he inadvertently discovers that werewolves do, in fact, exist.  But that's not the worst of it.  Apparently, he's got some werewolf blood in him himself and his newfound status as an omega-- whatever that is-- is enough for him to get thrust into the middle of supernatural politics.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/T'Challa, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Peter Quill/Stephen Strange, Pietro Maximoff/Peter Parker, Steve Rogers/Thor, Tony Stark/Vision, Wanda Maximoff/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Wanda Maximoff/Vision/Tony Stark
Comments: 54
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the setting, think of something similar to Victorian London. I kind of tried to hint at it in the actual text, but I don't think it's obvious.
> 
> Also, I feel like I should admit that this is my first time dabbling into A/B/O stuff. I haven't read a lot of stories with the tag, but the ones I did were interesting enough to make me want to try my own. Anyway, I hope I'm doing it justice-- even if I am putting my own spin on it.

Quill downed the rest of his drink and then slapped his mug on the tavern's counter. Steve was going to be so mad when he found out, but Quill just couldn't do it. He wasn't the type of guy who could take that prick of an overseer's abuse quietly. How Steve and the others tolerated it day in and day out was a mystery to him. And it wasn't like that guy was the only problem. The factory owners worked their workers to the bone and didn't pay them shit. It wasn't worth it.

"Sorry, Steve," Quill mumbled, looking down at his empty mug. He'd tried. An honest job just wasn't in the cards for him. Not when thieving was so much more profitable. He just wished that him ditching work didn't reflect badly on Steve. He'd really put his neck out there to get him the job too. Damn it. Disappointing the one guy who actually believed in him sucked. Quill just hoped they could still be friends after this.

"Another one?" the barmaid asked gently. Quill came here enough to know that her name was Natasha. She had striking, shoulder length red hair that she wore down and light skin. Her dress wasn't all that revealing, but she still somehow oozed sex appeal. Honestly, Quill had always found her beauty to be a little unearthly.

Quill nodded. She took his mug from him and went to refill it.

"Starting kind of early today, aren't we?" a voice came from behind. Yondu. Quill's old boss from when he ran with a gang called the Ravagers. Yondu wasn't exactly small in stature, but he wasn't enormous either. Still, Yondu had an intimidating aura about him that Quill credited mostly to his jagged set of teeth. Despite appearances, Yondu was a bit of a softie. At least when it came to Quill. And he was the only father figure Quill had ever had. Yondu took a seat next to Quill and asked, "shouldn't you be at that new, fancy job of yours?"

"I quit," Quill replied dryly.

"Of course you did," Yondu replied, "we both know you don't belong there. You belong--"

"I'm not going back to the Ravagers."

"Hmph. Well, you can't blame me for trying. Sooner or later you're going to be begging me to let you come back though, mark my words."

"Not today."

"Fine. Be stubborn. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about anyway," Yondu said, waving his hand dismissively. "I've got a job for you and, it seems to me, you might be in the mood to hear it-- considering your recent unemployment."

Natasha came by an set the drink Quill had ordered in front of him. "Thanks," Quill said.

"You're welcome," she smiled. Then she turned Yondu's way and asked, "can I get you anything?"

"Maybe in a minute," Yondu said, "I want to finish my conversation with my wayward pal here first."

"Alright then. I'll give you some space." She winked at him and then wandered off to go serve her other customers.

"I see why you chose this tavern," Yondu said with a smirk.

"What's the job, Yondu?" Quill asked with a tired sigh.

"I was approached by a guy looking to get his hands on a particular book. A genealogy record, to be specific."

"A genealogy record? That's different. Did he say why?"

"He didn't. And I didn't ask either. I just assumed he wanted it to settle a dispute over inheritance or something. You know? Rich people problems. None of that really matters. What matters is that he's willing to pay us a ridiculous sum of money for it."

"Fair enough. Why not give the job to the Ravagers though?"

"Oh, you know them. Their first solution to every problem is to attack it with the nearest blunt object. This job requires a more... delicate touch," Yondu said, "besides, this way we only have to split the reward two ways."

"Hm. Alright. I'm interested, but don't think you're getting more than 15%."

"Quill, come on! Don't do me dirty like that."

"You aren't doing any of the risky stuff. 15% is more than generous."

"Fine," Yondu grumbled.

"So, where is this book supposed to be anyway?" Quill asked. In the back of his head, Quill imagined a very disappointed Steve. He brushed the thought aside however and focused on nailing down the job's details. This was who he was. No amount of wishful thinking was going to change that.

\------------------------

The nice thing about cold weather was that it made it much easier for Quill to hide his face without drawing attention. In preparation for the night's activities, he'd donned a large scarf that easily eclipsed the bottom of his face and a newsboy cap that covered most of his hair. Those items paired with a slightly dirty coat ensured that he'd blend in with the rest of the city's poorer denizens. And that was definitely a good thing seeing as tonight was a full moon. That meant that he wasn't able to rely on the shadows as much as he would on some other night.

Quill tucked his hands under his armpits and shivered. The downside of cold weather was, well, that it was cold. Quill took a deep breath and watched it fog up for a moment as he checked his surroundings. If he remembered correctly, the antique shop he was looking for was to the north east. That in mind, Quill pressed on until he found the building in question. It was more of a house than a shop. That part seemed to be added as an after thought. Quill might not have even realized it was a place of business if it weren't for the sign on the gate.

Quill rubbed his hands together and stalled a bit as a carriage drove past. Then, determining that the coast was clear, he hopped the gate and entered the property. Whoever owned this place had certainly done well for themselves. The landscaping was immaculate and a fancy stone fountain accented an already beautiful lawn. The house itself was a large, two story house with a bit of a mystical feel to it that didn't quite match the surrounding houses. And it had a balcony. Quill wondered if that was his way in.

He took a minute to assess how hard it would be to climb up there before deciding it was very doable. It didn't take him much longer to reach his destination. The balcony was attached to a bedroom, one that Quill determined was empty upon carefully peering through a window. And the door leading to it... unlocked. People made careless mistakes like this all the time-- especially when it came to windows and doors on the second floor. Still, that didn't make Quill any less nervous. This was feeling way too easy. He wasn't going to get his hands on the book by second guessing himself though. He carefully cracked the door open and went inside. After taking a quick look around, Quill decided the book was most likely somewhere else and moved on to the hallway. 

The hallway was interesting. It looked a bit like a museum with all sorts of unique items displayed in cases that looked specially built for each one. Quill imagined each one was worth a pretty penny. He wasn't here for them though. Quill wouldn't feel good about taking anything that precious unless he knew the owner was a dick anyway.

The more rooms Quill checked, the more abandoned the house felt. He really should have run into someone sleeping peacefully in bed at this point. Maybe the owner was out of town or something? That felt convenient. Quill didn't run into anyone on the first floor either. What he did find was a set of stairs leading down to a basement. It was the last place left to check. If the book wasn't there, he'd have to start looking for actual hiding places. Quill took a deep breath and went down the steps. They led to a locked door. That felt promising, at least. You wouldn't put just any old thing behind a locked door, right? Quill pulled out his lockpicking tools and went to work.

"And done," Quill whispered to himself with a satisfied grin. It probably wasn't something he should be proud of, but his lockpicking skills really were second to none. Once he put his tools away, he opened the door and entered the room beyond. It was pretty dark, save a corner of the room that was illuminated in moonlight coming from a basement window. Quill was probably going to have to find some kind of light. He turned to go back when he realized that the door had shut behind him.

Okay... That was weird, but it shouldn't be a problem. He'd unlocked it, so all he had to do was open it. But it wouldn't open. Quill tried jiggling the handle as a slow panic started to set in. For something like this to happen someone would have had to follow him, right? But that wasn't possible! He'd been careful! No way--

Quill froze as he felt a puff of air on the back of his neck. That was from someone breathing, wasn't it? Quill gritted his teeth and forced down the terror that threatened to overwhelm him. The window. If he could get to the window... Quill counted to three and then made his move. He darted around whatever was waiting for him in the darkness and bolted towards the window.

Quill only made it about halfway there when the thing in the room with him cut him off with a sickening speed. And now, bathed in the light filtering through the window, Quill could see it. A large, humanoid creature about three feet taller than himself with the head of wolf. It's back was arched and it had elongated forearms that ended in a set of deadly looking claws. The fur covering its body was a dark brown with the exception of two streaks of silver on it's forehead above its eyes. Quill would definitely call it a werewolf-- something he'd dismissed as pure myth until this exact moment.

"N-nice wolfman," Quill stuttered, trying to back away slowly. He was definitely going to get eaten. The werewolf taking a step towards him did nothing to convince Quill otherwise. It kept following him until Quill's back hit a wall. Quill shut his eyes tight and braced himself. The creature didn't go to bite him though. Instead, it nuzzled up against Quill's neck. "Okay. Alright. Um... So, you're a friendly werewolf? You're not going to eat me?"

The werewolf pressed up against Quill more firmly than before.

"No need to be pushy," Quill grumbled.

The werewolf responded a bit cheekily and slid Quill along the wall until he was sitting on the ground. From there, the werewolf rested its head on Quill's lap. It proceeded to close its eyes and settle in for what Quill assumed was a nap. That wasn't ideal, but it was better than being mauled to death. Quill sighed and cautiously put his hand on the werewolf's neck. Its eyes opened, focusing on Quill curiously. "I'm going to pet you. That's all," Quill said, sliding his hand gently along the werewolf's fur, "see? That's not so bad, is it?"

The werewolf closed its eyes and allowed Quill to continue. Its fur wasn't coarse the way Quill had expected it to be. It was soft, smooth-- silky even. And it smelled nice. Like sage or something. Whatever it was, it was kind of intoxicating. Quill actually felt relaxed which was the exact wrong thing he should be feeling in a situation like this. Quill continued petting the werewolf until he thought it had gone to sleep. Then, he gently tried to pry himself out from under the creature until the werewolf growled. "Right, right. I'm staying. Sorry. Please don't change your mind about not eating me."

Quill supposed he was stuck. And that was going to be a problem once the sun came up. If this creature really was a werewolf, it'd probably revert to a human at that point. He was going to have a lot of trouble explaining why he'd broken in. Still, his odds against a regular human were better than his odds against a werewolf. He'd just have to work that charm of his overtime. For now, all that he could do was wait and, if he was waiting, he might as well get some sleep. Quill closed his eyes and continued stroking the werewolf's fur as he slowly dozed off.

Quill woke up when he felt something shift against him. Once he opened his eyes, Quill found someone staring back at him. As it turned out, the werewolf was a man, a handsome one at that. He had short brown hair with silver streaks just above his ears and a well kept goatee and mustache combo. It gave him a refined look that was only slightly diminished by the fact that he was completely naked-- not that he had anything to be ashamed of in that regard.

"So, uh," Quill started, clearing his throat and averting his gaze, "hi, I guess?"

The man stared at him for a moment longer before getting up and fetching some clothes piled on a chair across the room.

"You going to say anything?"

"I'm processing," he replied. His voice was nice too.

"Fair."

"You... are a thief?" the man asked, turning towards Quill once he'd pulled on his pants.

"I have not stolen anything from you," Quill said cheekily.

The man rolled his eyes as he put an arm through the sleeve of his shirt. "Because you didn't get that far."

"You can't prove that."

"What were you trying to steal?"

"Whatever looked like it'd be worth the most while still being easy to carry," Quill shrugged. That was a lie that he should be able to get away with. "But, like you said, I didn't get that far. So... any way we could just part ways peacefully? I promise I won't tell anyone you're a werewolf."

"It's not that simple," he muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because you're..." the man trailed off, letting out a sigh before buttoning up his shirt and continuing, "you're an omega."

"Okay... And what is that exactly?"

"You really don't know? This is all new to you?"

"The whole werewolf thing? Yes. I was living in blissful ignorance until last night."

"This... is going to take some explaining. I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

"I guess," Quill said. Honestly, he didn't really care about the tea, but if the man was distracted there was always a chance Quill could slip out the front door unnoticed.

"Follow me then." The man left the room and proceeded upstairs. After taking a quick look around and determining that the book wasn't nearby, Quill did the same. It looked like he was going to have to leave empty handed at this rate. Quill wondered where it could be. "Feel free to take a seat on the couch in the living area. I'll be with you momentarily."

Quill perked up at that. The man was making this too easy. "Alright," Quill said calmly. It was disappointing that he hadn't found the book, but getting out of here needed to be his first priority. Once he was out of sight, he quietly headed for the front door. Unfortunately, once he opened it a chime sounded. He really should have seen that coming. Quill tried to leave the house anyway only to run into some sort of invisible barrier.

"You really thought I didn't think of that?" the man asked with a tired sigh as he came into the room. "By all means though, continue."

"Is this... some kind of magic?" Quill asked, poking at it.

"It is," the man replied, "it keeps unwelcome guests from leaving without my permission."

"Why wouldn't you just use this kind of magic to keep people out in the first place?"

"Because that would make it easier for people to find out that magic exists. If I trap them inside, I have time to wipe their memories before sending them back out into the world."

"H-hold on! You're not going to do that to me, are you?"

"Would I bother explaining things to you if I was just going to erase your memory?"

"You haven't actually explained anything yet though! Maybe you were planning to do something to the tea or--"

"Alright. I see your point. No. I am not going to make you forget anything. Like I said, this situation is not that simple. Now, would you please come over here and take a seat?" Quill didn't like being ordered around, but he ultimately obeyed. Stephen took a seat on the other couch across from him. There was a coffee table between them. "My name is Stephen Strange. I am, as you have surmised, a werewolf and I am far from the only one living in this city. There are other supernatural beings around as well, but that is a topic for another day. Now, in this city there are four werewolf clans: Iron Clan, Storm Clan, Magic Clan, and Star Clan. Another clan you should know about is Panther Clan. They have a sort of embassy here and wield significant power in our affairs. They aren't strictly werewolves though. They're mostly werecats."

"Thus, the panther part of their name. Got it. Which one are you in?"

"Magic Clan. I'm the leader of it actually."

"Ah, right. I guess that's why you can create things like that barrier."

"Members from the other clans can do that too. It is admittedly our specialty though."

"And you're the leader? But there's no one else here. That means you live separately?"

"It depends," Stephen replied. "Iron Clan and Storm Clan have the majority of their members live in the same household. Star Clan is more spread out. I guess you could say that about my clan as well, but we simply don't have that many members in the first place. Anyway, that's not really the important part. The important part is the actual structure of our society." The teapot suddenly went off in the other room. Stephen excused himself and went to go deal with that. When he came back, he had two cups of tea in hand. He set one in front of Quill and one in front of himself. "Do you want sugar or anything like that?"

"No. This is fine." What Quill wanted was more answers. All of this was crazy, but he'd seen Stephen as a werewolf. He was willing to accept everything Stephen said as truth. For the moment, at least. Quill picked up his cup and blew on it before taking a sip. Tea had never been his drink of choice, but Stephen's tea was pretty good.

"Back to what I was saying," Stephen said, "all clan members have werewolf blood in them, but not all of them are werewolves. True werewolves, the ones that can shapeshift like me, are referred to as alphas. We can usually change at will, but full moons are an exception. During full moons, we lose our senses and are forced into our werewolf form. That doesn't stop us from being considered ideal, however. Our abilities come with status. All the clan leaders are alphas and the alphas that aren't still hold positions of power. Our primary job is to protect our clans. Then, there are betas. They are almost identical to humans. The only difference, besides the werewolf blood in their veins, is that there is an astronomically small chance that they'll sire children that are alphas or omegas. We tend to rely on betas for any job that requires us to interact with human society. It's not exactly a role that is respected, but it comes with the most freedom. Which, unfortunately, is not the case for omegas."

"Which is what you said I am."

Stephen nodded. "The good news is that that's why you aren't dead right now. Omegas have a calming effect on alphas during full moons. That's how I know you are what you are. But that's not how we usually figure it out. That method is too dangerous. Normally, we identify omegas by a sort of... pull that we feel towards them. Omegas experience a similar attraction to alphas." Quill shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He supposed that explained why he'd found Stephen so appealing. The clean cut gentleman type wasn't what he usually went for, after all. "It becomes more intense in the days leading up to the full moon."

"So, what I felt this morning..."

"Is about as tame as it gets."

"That's obnoxious."

"It is," Stephen agreed, "but we have ways to manage it. And it's only really unbearable for two or three days."

"So, what else? I take it that's not the bad news."

"It isn't. Omegas are... well, to put it indelicately, breeders. What makes them different from alphas, betas, and regular humans is that they have the ability to get pregnant regardless of their biological sex."

Quill spit out his tea. "Oh, hell no. You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I am."

"But that doesn't make any sense! I know for a fact that I don't have... those parts."

"Of course not. You're male."

"Then explain!"

Stephen's face turned slightly red. Quill got the feeling he wasn't used to explaining this sort of thing. To his credit though, he cleared his throat and made an attempt. "If you let a male or a female alpha finish inside of you, there is a chance your body will accept that... seed and you'll become pregnant. It doesn't change any of your anatomy below, but your stomach does grow to accommodate the child. When the time comes for you to actually have the child, it comes out, well, magically. It looks like a kind of portal that appears above the omega's stomach. Anyway, it's actually much easier than a regular pregnancy. The birthing process isn't supposed to hurt at all."

"I just... don't know what to do with that information," Quill said. He'd been following Stephen up until this point, but this omega crap seemed absolutely ridiculous. "And you said something about female alphas being able to get omegas pregnant?"

"Yes. They can change the anatomy between their legs at will."

"Of course they can."

"Anyway, while unique, the ability to sire children in such a way isn't what makes omegas valuable. It's the fact that the children that come from a union with an omega have a higher chance of being alphas and omegas themselves-- especially when the omega is paired with an alpha. Omegas are vital for keeping the bloodlines of our clans strong. And, unfortunately, we do not have enough of them. Among the five clans I mentioned earlier, there are three omegas total. You would be the fourth."

"And that's why you can't just let me go..."

"I'm sorry," Stephen said, "if I turned you loose and a clan member found out, I would most likely be sentenced to death-- despite my position as leader of Magic Clan. That is how serious this situation is."

"So what now?"

"Well, the clan leaders meet in about a week. I'll tell them about you at that time and together we'll determine your fate. I can practically guarantee that you'll be paired with one of the clan leaders, the most likely candidates being Thor Odinson of Storm Clan or T'Challa of Panther Clan. Iron Clan is out because Tony Stark is already paired with an omega and Carol Danvers of Star Clan has withdrawn her candidacy."

"What about you?"

"I'm in the same position as Danvers. I've opted out. The drama surrounding claiming omegas is ridiculous and I'd just as soon have no part in it."

"Must be nice to have a choice," Quill said bitterly.

"It is," Stephen replied evenly.

"What about the other two omegas? Why aren't they paired with a clan leader?"

Stephen let out a long sigh. "Part of that drama I mentioned. Peter Parker, the one in Iron Clan only recently came of age so that one does make some semblance of sense. I don't see Stark letting him go easily though. He denies it, but he thinks of the omega as his son. And Loki Odinson... Well, Thor is very stubborn when it comes to his adopted brother. Honestly, Iron Clan and Storm Clan will probably vote to give you to Panther Clan so they aren't pressured to give up the omegas in their clans. Which is probably a good thing. T'Challa would treat you very well."

"He's the one you'd pick if you were in my position and you actually had a choice?"

Stephen took a moment to consider it. "Yes. I think so."

"But none of that is going to happen for a week? What are you going to do with me in the meantime?"

"You'll stay here. If you want to make yourself useful, you can help out in the shop. If not, well, you're free to do as you please. I will not be lifting the spell keeping you here, however."

"I figured as much," Quill grumbled. A week then. That's how much time Quill had to find the genealogy record and a way out. If he could do that, he could get his part of the reward and leave the city. Having to start over some place new would suck, but it was better than being paired off with some stranger. It might not be so bad if it was with Stephen, but-- Quill cut off that thought. That was that attraction to alphas thing Stephen had mentioned. He didn't actually feel that way himself, right?

"You know," Stephen said, snapping Quill out of his thoughts, "it occurs to me that I never actually asked your name."

Quill debated giving him a fake name. Then again, it probably didn't matter if he was planning on skipping town anyway. "It's Peter Quill. I go by my last name though."

"Well, Quill, I apologize for the circumstances surrounding our meeting. Still, I hope that your stay here will be tolerable."

"Alcohol might make it more tolerable. Just saying."

Stephen blinked. For a moment, Quill thought that maybe he didn't get that it had been a joke. At least, it was mostly a joke. But then Stephen chuckled and said, "I guess I better see what I can do about that then."


	2. Chapter 2

Pietro quickened his pace as he made his way to the antique shop. He was already running late and Stephen didn't exactly take kindly to that sort of thing. Sure, he was Magic Clan's leader so he kind of had an obligation to take things seriously, but Pietro didn't think it would kill him to relax every once and awhile. It's not like they ever got that many customers anyway. Pietro came to a halt when he saw that the gate to the house was still closed. That was strange. Stephen wouldn't normally wait for him to open up the shop. Something was wrong.

Pietro hopped the gate and headed for the house. The door was unlocked so he let himself in. "Stephen?" Pietro called cautiously.

"Ah. Is it that time already?" came Stephen's reply from the next room. Wait. So he was fine? Pietro was kind of annoyed that he'd been worried.

"I'm actually over an hour late," Pietro started, walking into the next room, "I don't know how you didn't notice. You're usually so uptight about..." He trailed off when he realized that Stephen was sitting across from some guy he didn't recognize. The two of them had apparently been casually sipping tea too! Pietro crossed his arms and asked, "who's he?"

"This is Peter Quill," Stephen said, making introductions, "Quill, this is Pietro Maximoff. He's helping out with the shop since my usual guy, Wong, is out of town tending to some personal matters."

"So, you don't actually do any of the work yourself?" Quill asked. There was definitely some judgement in his tone.

Pietro snorted. Okay, maybe this guy was alright. "He's got you there, boss."

"I have other tasks that require my attention," Stephen said coldly.

"And I'm sure they're all very pressing. Anyway, you gave me a name, but I still don't know what he's doing here." 

Stephen hesitated. That reaction only piqued Pietro's interest.

"Is he your secret lover?" Pietro guessed teasingly. He was pretty sure that was wrong, but he was hoping to embarrass Stephen into telling him the truth.

"He is not," Stephen said, disappointingly keeping his cool. "He will be staying with me for about a week, however. And he's not allowed outside of this house."

"Okay. That just raises more questions."

"Hey, um, Stephen," Quill interrupted, "does he know about... well, you know? The wolf thing?"

"Yes, he knows about the wolf thing," Stephen said with a sigh, "he's a beta from my clan. His sister, Wanda, is the omega that's married to Tony Stark, the leader of Iron Clan. Does that clarify things?"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know. Between this and the other stuff, there's a lot to keep straight," Quill grumbled, "don't you have some kind of chart or something?"

"Hold on," Pietro said. He could've sworn Quill just glared at him for half a second. Was that last question important? Pietro took another look at Quill's face and decided he had just been imagining things. "You're explaining things to him? Why though? If he was a part of our world, wouldn't he already know everything?"

"You would think," Stephen said, "and yet, he doesn't."

"How is that possible?"

Stephen took a sip of his tea as he thought the question over. "He isn't in our records. That means that one or both of his parents must have been exiles. But that doesn't explain his lack of knowledge. My best guess is that he wasn't raised by them. You are adopted, correct?"

"Yeah. I guess you could call it that," Quill said. That was another answer that provoked more questions, but Quill didn't seem to be interested in lingering on the subject. Instead, he moved the conversation along by asking, "you think my parents were exiles? Does that mean they were criminals?"

"That is what that would mean, yes."

"But hey, that doesn't mean you're a criminal!" Pietro added hastily, trying to smooth things over. Stephen could be really insensitive sometimes.

"No, but the fact that we met because he was trying to steal from me does."

Pietro didn't have a response to that. If Quill was a thief, why was Stephen treating him to tea? And this happened when? Last night? Last night was a full moon. That didn't make a lot of sense. If he'd run into Stephen, he would have been torn to shreds. Unless... "Wait," Pietro started suddenly, putting the pieces together, "is he an omega?"

"He is."

"That's... That's huge!"

"It is."

"Have you told the other clan leaders?"

"How would he have told them?" Quill asked, "he just found out this morning,"

"Magic," Stephen explained simply.

"Right. That's a thing. Sorry. I'm still getting used to the idea. You may proceed."

Stephen turned his attention back to Pietro and continued. "Not yet. I plan to tell all of them at the same time during our next meeting. With that in mind, please don't tell your sister about Quill."

"Why not? It's not like she'd blab to anyone."

"No, but I don't want to put her in a position where she has to hide something from her husband."

"Yeah, okay. I guess that's a good reason. What do I tell her if she swings by though?"

"Hm. I suppose she wouldn't believe that I hired him to run the shop. Just tell her that I was evasive when you asked and that you don't know."

"Yeah, I'll just tell her that you're secret lovers. It's funner for me that way."

Stephen sighed. "I miss Wong."

"Hey, I'm just as good as he is at running the shop."

"Debatable. But I suppose I should let you attempt to prove that."

"Right. I guess I'll go open the front gate then."

"Please do," Stephen said, "and if Quill wants to help out, find something for him to do. Otherwise, he has free rein of the house. I'll be back in the evening."

"You're leaving?" Quill asked.

"I have things I need to get done. If you have more questions, we'll have time to discuss them later."

"He's not that much fun anyway," Pietro added, "you won't miss him."

"I wasn't going to miss him!" Quill reacted defensively, "he's my kidnapper! Why would I miss him?"

"That's... a strong reaction."

"Well, since I won't be missed," Stephen said, getting up from his seat. He'd kept his tone neutral, but Pietro had known him long enough to get the sense that he was a little irked. Maybe he actually cared what Quill thought about him. To some extent, at least. That was weird coming from Stephen, but Quill was an omega. Pietro supposed that was influencing both of their behaviors more than they realized. And they were going to spend about a week together, huh? Pietro was not looking forward to babysitting them. Stephen picked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Once he'd done that, he grabbed his coat from the stand near the front door and left without a formal goodbye.

"I'd better go open the gate," Pietro said, turning to Quill, "what are your plans?"

"Well, since I have free rein of the house, I'll probably do some exploring," Quill replied.

"Sounds good. I'll be in the shop part of the house if you get bored."

\------------------------

After completing his usual tasks, Stephen stopped by Stark's mansion. Wanda had written to him asking him to come by to talk about a private matter. As she was his former clan member and student, the thought of refusing her had never crossed his mind. He climbed the steps leading to the large, somewhat daunting doors, and knocked. Happy was the one to greet him. He had Stephen come inside and wait in the parlor.

"Hello, Mr. Strange," Peter's enthusiastic voice came from the opposite end of the room. He stood in the doorway, his short brown hair carefully combed into a more formal style. That, combined with his outfit-- a nice coat and vest over a clean shirt pulled together with a bow tie-- told Stephen he was on his way out. That was a bit of a surprise, considering how protective Tony was. Stephen supposed he had to let the kid out every once and awhile though.

"Peter," Stephen replied with a nod, "it's good to see you."

Peter stepped into the room and took a seat on the couch opposite Stephen. Bucky, his bodyguard followed him into the room. Stephen knew Bucky was a beta-- all omega bodyguards were, seeing as alphas couldn't be completely trusted around omegas-- but that was about it. He seemed to take his job seriously though, judging by the way he watched Stephen like a hawk. 

"Are you here to see Wanda?" Peter asked curiously.

"I am," Stephen said, "if you don't mind me asking, how has she been lately?"

Peter took a moment to think the question over. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't think she's unhappy with Mr. Stark, but she does seem a little sad sometimes. Maybe she misses home? I mean, if I was in her position, I think I would."

That was definitely possible. Maybe that's what she wanted to talk about. He couldn't exactly take her home though. She was Iron Clan now, for better or worse. "Thank you for answering my question."

"No problem," he said, resuming his cheerful attitude. "You know, it'd probably help if you visited more often. I think that'd raise her spirits for sure."

"I doubt Tony would like that idea. I am an alpha, after all."

"Yeah, but you don't act all sleazy like some of them."

"Oh? You have experience around other alphas?" Stephen asked in an amused tone. Peter definitely didn't know what he was talking about. After all, there was no way Tony had exposed him to more alphas than absolutely necessary.

"Well, no, but that's what Mr. Stark always tells me," Peter admitted, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"He's a bit overprotective," Stephen said, "you still shouldn't be alone with an alpha you aren't mated with, but we do have more control over ourselves than Tony would lead you to believe."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Don't hold it against him though. He is just trying to protect you."

"I know, but... I'm an adult now. I'm going to have to be paired off with an alpha sooner or later."

"That's true," Stephen said with a sigh. He didn't like condemning the kid to such a fate, but at least he'd grown up knowing that was his role. It was different for Quill. There was no way he could understand how important omegas were to their clans. As miraculous as the existence of another omega was, Stephen wished they'd never met. Then Quill could have gone on being free.

"About that..." Peter said, staring at the floor shyly, "I was kind of wondering if you'd consider being my alpha." 

That took Stephen by surprise.

"I-I mean, I know you don't really want to fight the other clan leaders, but... I know you and I think we'd get along well enough. And then you could visit Wanda and I could visit Mr. Stark all the time without it being weird."

He could see the sense in what Peter was saying, but it was hard for Stephen to think of Peter as anything but a child. He wasn't a child though. Not anymore. Stephen supposed he had to find away to adjust his view of him. Luckily, he was spared having to respond right away as Tony made an appearance.

"Aren't you supposed to be out shopping?" Tony asked, arms crossed as he looked into the room from the doorway.

"Ah, right. Of course. Bucky and I were just saying hello to Mr. Strange first," Peter said, quickly standing up and straightening his clothes. He looked Stephen's way one last time and quietly said, "think about it, will you?" before him and his body guard departed.

Once Tony was sure they were gone, he turned towards Stephen and said, "I sincerely hope you aren't actually thinking about it."

"He has to go to an alpha at some point," Stephen sighed, "it doesn't have to be me, but you know you can't keep him around just because you think of him as a son."

Tony glared at him.

"Do you think giving Wanda to you was easy?" Stephen asked, meeting Tony's gaze with a similar intensity.

"Peter is just a kid."

"And you will never stop seeing him that way. But he isn't, Tony. He is an adult now. You should focus on finding him a good match."

"I'll give him up when Thor gives up Loki."

Stephen sighed. This was why he didn't like getting involved in these sorts of things. "I'm not here to fight with you. I'm here to see Wanda."

"My wife."

"I am well aware. If you really think that I can't keep my hands off of her, you can have Rhodey keep an eye on us." Rhodey was Wanda's assigned body guard and one of Tony's best friends. He was trustworthy enough, but Stephen hoped Tony would let him speak with Wanda alone. He wasn't sure she'd say everything she wanted to with him in the room.

"It's fine," Tony sighed, finally relenting, "I trust her."

"Then I can go see her now?"

"Yes," Tony said, "she's upstairs in her room."

Stephen nodded and got up from the couch. He'd only visited a few times, but he did know where Wanda's room was. He went there directly and knocked on the door. "It's Stephen," he said.

Wanda threw the door open and hugged him. "You came," she said, pulling back and looking him in the eyes.

"Of course I did," Stephen said, "there was no way I was going to ignore your request."

Wanda smiled. There was happiness in the expression, but Stephen also sensed a little bit of doubt. Wanda stood aside and let Stephen in, shutting the door behind them once he'd entered. From there, they sat down on a couple of armchairs at the foot of her bed. "I should have prepared some tea," she said.

"It's alright," Stephen said, "now, what did you want to talk about?"

Wanda frowned. "I think... there might be something wrong with me," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Tony and I have been trying for months now and I'm still not pregnant. It's supposed to be easier for omegas, isn't it? It should have happened by now."

She was right to be concerned. That wasn't normal for an omega. Of course, the problem could have just as easily have been with Tony. He didn't say that though. Questioning another alpha's potency wasn't something to be done lightly. If they really couldn't conceive... Well, that was a headache Stephen did not want. "There's probably something I can do to help," Stephen said, thinking of the mountains of books on potions he had, "in the mean time, stay calm and keep trying."

They continued discussing their options for about half an hour before Stephen decided it was time to take his leave. There wasn't much more he could do for her until he looked into a few things. He promised to visit her again soon and made one last stop before heading home.

\------------------------

"So, are we going to do this the hard way or are you going to go get your boss?" Steve asked the Ravagers standing guard outside of the warehouse serving as their current base. They outnumbered him four to one, but Steve had been a problem for them before. He was stubborn and, no matter how many times he got knocked down, he'd always get back up. Steve was counting on a fight being more trouble than it was worth. At the very least, it'd draw a lot of attention to their hideout and he was pretty sure they didn't want that.

"I'll go talk to the boss," the one Steve recognized as Kraglin said with a sigh.

"Thank you." Steve waited patiently as Kraglin entered the warehouse. It took a few minutes, but eventually Yondu came outside to speak with him.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Yondu growled.

"I am aware," Steve replied.

"Well, come in," Yondu said, "there's no sense in making a commotion out here."

Steve nodded and followed Yondu into the building. They walked up a set of stairs that led to an upper level where Yondu had his things set up. He took a seat at a table and invited Steve to take a chair opposite him.

"So, what can I do for you, Steve?" Yondu asked.

"I'm looking for Quill. He didn't show up to work yesterday and I think that you had something to do with that. You offered him another one of your jobs, didn't you?"

Yondu laughed. "I did, but it didn't go down the way you think. Quill quit before I made the offer."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. You think you know Quill, but you don't."

"And you think you do?"

"He's my boy," Yondu said sharply, any humor gone from his tone, "if anyone knows him, it's me. You're just some shiny do-gooder he took a fancy to. The sooner he realizes how bad you are for him, the better."

"I'm bad for him? I'm not the one leading him back into a life of crime!"

"No. You're the one leading him into a life of exploitation," Yondu said, "sit on your high horse all you want, but morals won't get you anywhere in this life. Think about it. What has working your ass off actually done for you? Do you have a fancy house? No. Do you get to eat well? No. Do your bosses at least give you the respect you deserve? Hell no. They owe their comfy lifestyle to you, but they'll still shit on you at every turn. That's the life you want for Quill."

"And rotting in jail is a better alternative?"

"He won't rot in jail," Yondu said, "I taught him myself. He's not going to get caught easily. And, even if he does, we'll be there to break him out."

Steve hadn't come to argue. He reminded himself of that and refocused. "Where is Quill, Yondu?"

Yondu hesitated. Then, he looked out one of the windows and admitted, "he hasn't come back yet."

"Was the job you sent him on dangerous?"

"It shouldn't have been. I wouldn't have given it to him if I'd thought that it was."

"Where'd you send him? I'll go check the place out."

Yondu sighed. "An antique shop north of here," he said, "if you go, don't cause a commotion, alright? Quill might be lying low for some reason. The last thing he needs is you blowing it for him."

"Stopping him wouldn't be the worst thing."

Yondu crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Just... bring him back safe."

\------------------------

Where could it be? It had to be at least the hundredth time Quill had asked himself that as he stared blankly at the ceiling from his position on the bed in the master bedroom. He'd spent the whole day looking for the genealogy record only to come up empty. It had to exist. Stephen had implied that much when he said that Quill wasn't in it. But where? He'd searched every nook and cranny the house had to offer and made a complete mess in the process. Maybe his client's information had been bad. Maybe it wasn't kept in Stephen's house. Or maybe it was protected by some kind of magic. He was never going to get his hands on it if that was the case. Quill groaned and then rolled over onto his side.

At least this bed was comfortable. Though, honestly, that was kind of a problem too. He hadn't been able to pry himself up from it since he'd laid down. It was just so soft. A far cry from the hard lumpy mess he was so used to. And it smelled good. Like sage or-- wait. It smelled like Stephen, didn't it? Is that why he'd picked this one? There were other beds in the house that had looked just as comfortable.

"I see that you've taken over my room," Stephen said from the doorway. Quill almost fell of the bed in surprise. "And made a mess of it." Stephen picked a book up off the floor and took it over to the bookshelf to put it away.

"S-sorry," Quill stammered.

"At least you didn't actually break anything," Stephen said as he cleaned up more of Quill's mess. "What kind of reading material were you looking for anyway?"

"Stuff on werewolves or magic," Quill said. He'd prepared that excuse beforehand. After all, there were so many books to check that he'd figured he'd be caught looking through them. "I figured that if I'm stuck in this situation I might as well try to learn what I can. You don't have anything like that though."

"Not here, no."

"Then where?"

"Where normal people can't access it."

"Well, apparently I'm not normal, so... can I please look at your special books?"

"While I applaud your efforts to learn more about your situation, I don't think it's a good idea to show you either of those things," Stephen replied with a sigh, "to be blunt, I don't trust you."

"You think I could use that information to escape?"

"I think it would be unwise to underestimate you."

That was kind of flattering in an annoying sort of way. "What am I supposed to do then?" Quill said, crossing his arms, "I'm bored." He wasn't really. There were a lot of weird things in Stephen's house that could potentially hold his interest. He was just hoping that throwing a bit of a tantrum might get Stephen to budge.

Stephen sighed. He seemed to be thinking it over which Quill took as a good sign. "There might be a few things that are safe to show you," Stephen said finally, "but I'll expect your help in exchange."

"With what?" Quill asked curiously.

"I need to make a fertility potion."

Quill frowned, eyeing Stephen suspiciously.

"It has nothing to do with you," Stephen said, "you would be helping out someone else. Some people actually want kids, you know? Anyway, is that something you think you can handle?"

"Yeah, sure."

"This is important."

"I get that. Really," Quill said with a sigh. He supposed his first answer hadn't inspired much confidence. He actually did kind of like the idea of helping out though. And he was sure he could do it if Stephen showed him how. "I think you'll find that I'm a quick learner," Quill replied with a smug smile. His smugness faltered a bit though as he added, "when it comes to more practical things anyway. I'm useless at complicated math and things that require... higher learning."

"I suspected as much," Stephen said, "and I don't mean that as an insult. I just assumed you haven't had a formal education considering your background."

"Well, you're right," Quill said, crossing his arms, "not that you actually know the first thing about my background."

"Fair enough. Maybe you could tell me."

"Nope. I don't trust you," Quill said cheekily, repeating Stephen's earlier sentiment.

"Even though I bought you some wine while I was out?"

"You did?" Quill asked excitedly, his attitude changing immediately.

"I did."

"Well, to be honest, I'm more of a beer kind of guy, but I'm not going to complain. I may have to reconsider my opinion of you."

"If I'd known it was so easy to earn your trust, I would have bought more."

"Well, it is that easy and you should definitely buy more," Quill said, "anyway, where is it? We should go open it right now. I'll see if Pietro wants some." Quill didn't wait for an answer to his question. He was out the door and down the stairs before Stephen could say anything else. He made his way to the shop part of the house just as the front door swung open. Quill stopped short, immediately recognizing the potential customer.

"Quill?" Steve asked in surprise.

"Uh, hey, Steve," Quill managed, blushing brightly in embarrassment. Oh boy. How was he going to explain all this?


	3. Chapter 3

This was bound to be inconvenient. Quill clearly knew the man who'd just walked into the shop. Stephen just hoped he had the common sense to keep his current situation quiet. It wasn't the end of the world if Quill did try to pull some kind of stunt, but wiping memories wasn't something Stephen liked to do. 

"Can I help you with something?" Stephen asked, strolling into the room. Maybe his presence would remind Quill to behave.

"I was looking for Quill, actually," Steve replied, "he missed work yesterday so I was worried about him. When looking for him in his usual spots didn't work, I thought I'd start asking around." Stephen supposed his explanation was plausible. He still couldn't rule out that they were partners in crime though.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Quill said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I just didn't go. I couldn't handle it, you know?"

"No, I don't know," Steve said crossly. "You can do better, Quill."

"No, I can't," Quill retorted childishly. He wasn't angry. Frustrated was the more correct term. Like he was feeling pressured and wanted Steve off his back. That was the impression Stephen got anyway.

"You can. You just need to stop making excuses for yourself. I'll talk to the foreman and see if I can smooth things over. Then you could come back--"

"I don't want to go back! That job was horrible!" Quill interrupted. Judging by his expression, he instantly regretted raising his voice. Steve looked a little surprised at the outburst himself. Quill lowered his gaze to the ground and tried again, this time in a calmer voice. "I know you mean well, Steve, but I can't just take it the way you do. I'm not... I'm not you, okay?"

"So what Yondu said was true? You're really quitting?"

"I'm not quitting. I already quit."

"Then you're going back to your old job?" Steve's gaze was intense. Stephen was kind of glad it wasn't directed Quill's way and not his. If he understood the situation correctly, Steve knew that Quill was a thief. That was probably what he was referencing with his last question. He'd tried to get Quill an honest job though? And, while Quill ultimately failed to keep it, he had given it an attempt. That was promising. It meant that Quill probably wasn't the complete scoundrel Stephen had taken him for. If he was actually looking for a more ethical alternative to thieving, Stephen could probably facilitate that.

Stephen stepped forward and put a hand on Quill's shoulder. "He won't be returning to either job," he said, "seeing as he works for me now."

"He works here? In this shop?"

"No. I've already got Pietro for that," Stephen said, "Quill will be working as my personal live-in assistant."

Steve considered Stephen's words for a moment. He then turned to Quill and asked, "that's not his fancy way of saying you're sleeping with him for money, is it?"

Stephen shot Pietro a glare as he snickered behind the counter.

"Prostitution, Steve? Really? You think I'd sink that low?"

"I don't know how low you'll sink, Quill," Steve replied.

"I curate and evaluate artifacts," Stephen interjected in an attempt to put a stop to their bickering. "It is a job that requires extensive research and having someone around to help me organize materials and fetch me tea will be an invaluable asset."

"And you picked Quill for that job?"

"I did," Stephen said firmly, "our meeting may have been unorthodox and I admit that he is not traditionally qualified, but I do believe that he's capable."

Steve seemed to accept that answer. He turned his attention back to Quill and asked his next questions in a gentler tone. "You're going to stick with this then? You're not going back to your other job? The one Yondu wanted you for?"

Quill nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything," he said, "in fairness though, it is all pretty new and I didn't expect you to send out the search party the second I vanished. If you swing by Yondu's place, could you tell him I'm okay?"

"I can do that," Steve said with sigh. "And I am glad you're alright. I'm sorry if it didn't sound that way."

"I get it. I up and disappeared without a word after you went through the trouble of getting me a job. I can't blame you for being a little mad," Quill said. He ran a hand through his hair and averted his gaze shyly. "Honestly, it's amazing that you still cared enough to come find me."

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I gave up on you," Steve said. He'd said it with such conviction that even Stephen was impressed. This Steve guy was probably a genuinely decent person. "It does seem that you're doing alright now though. So, I guess I'll wish you good luck and get out of your hair."

"Um, Steve..."

"Yes?"

"I really am grateful for all you've done for me."

Steve smiled and said, "let's grab a drink together once you've settled in."

"Yeah," Quill smiled back, "if I'm not too busy." Steve nodded and then left the shop. As soon as he was gone, Quill's smile faded. It wasn't hard to guess why. Quill was well aware he wasn't going to be able to keep that promise to go get drinks. Stephen would be lying if he said that he didn't feel bad about that.

"Thank you for not causing a commotion," Stephen said.

"It's not like it would have done any good," Quill glowered, "you would have just erased his memory or something if I'd said anything."

"Well, you're not wrong," Stephen said with a sigh, "it may still come to that though. Manipulating his memory may be the only way to keep him from getting too nosy."

"Don't you dare," Quill said, glaring at Stephen with a frankly impressive amount of rage. "He hasn't done anything wrong." That was an interesting reaction.

"You just don't want him to forget you," Stephen ventured a guess. He knew he was provoking Quill, but he was curious about something. "You like him."

Sure enough, Quill turned a bright shade of red. It looked like Stephen's hunch had been correct. That irritated Stephen a little. Of course it would though. Jealousy was essentially a biological reaction to an unclaimed omega showing interest in someone other than himself. Especially since that someone else wasn't even another alpha. 

"I-It's not what you think," Quill stammered, "at least, I don't think it is. I do like him, but it's more along the lines of admiration. Steve is... He's the kind of guy I wish I could be. A little headstrong, but brave. Always willing to put himself on the line for others. Unyielding." Quill smiled and added, "a hero."

Quill's words did nothing to ease Stephen's jealousy. The way they oozed affection put him on edge. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Quill wasn't his. He wasn't going to be his. He shouldn't indulge feelings like that. After all, if he was going to actually try to claim an omega, shouldn't he go after Peter? The kid had asked for him specifically. Stephen still didn't know how to feel about that.

"I'll tell Steve whatever lies you want me to, okay?" Quill said, pulling Stephen out of his thoughts. "Just don't mess with his head. Not unless you absolutely have to."

"I suppose I can promise that much."

Quill nodded. "Oh, and, um... Before I forget, thanks for covering for me. You know, by saying that I had an actual job here."

Stephen crossed his arms and looked at Quill. "Oh, but I was serious."

"Hm?"

Talking with Steve had made Stephen want to take a chance on Quill. He'd have to be careful about what he let Quill know, but a little trust might go a long way in getting Quill to accept his current situation. Besides, keeping a closer eye on him wasn't a bad idea. He'd figured that much out when he'd come home to a rearranged bookshelf. "You were bored, right? Well, now you'll have something to do."

"If I actually agree to it."

"You will."

"And what exactly makes you say that?"

"Because I'll teach you some of the things you wanted to know about."

"Magic?" Quill asked, perking up curiously.

"Maybe something minor. IF I decide that I can trust you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, boss?" Pietro asked.

"He's not supposed to be a prisoner," Stephen said, finalizing his decision, "and there is a lot he should know if he's going to be integrated into one of the clans."

"I mean, that's fair, but shouldn't that be his alpha's responsibility?"

"That was the assumption I was previously working with, but I've changed my mind. The sooner he learns, the better. He should at least be able to navigate social situations without making a fool of himself."

"I can handle social situations just fine," Quill grumbled.

"Alphas expect... a certain amount of class." A certain amount of class that Stephen was sure Quill did not have. His reply wasn't reassuring either.

"That sounds like a personal problem."

"Quill is going to be the first omega that no alpha wants," Pietro said, leaning against the counter with an amused smile.

"Shut up," Quill growled moodily. "And it'd be great if nobody wanted me anyway!" Despite his words, Quill did seem a little annoyed by the idea of nobody wanting him.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Stephen said, "your status as an omega means that somebody will be willing to take you no matter how uncouth you are."

"I bet there's an alpha out there who would actually enjoy putting you in your place," Pietro said, clearly uninterested in deescalating the situation. "Getting a defiant omega is bound to be more entertaining than getting an obedient one anyway." Stephen couldn't help but think that Pietro had a point. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

"That's enough, Pietro," Stephen said, "you've had enough fun at Quill's expense."

"Fine, fine," Pietro replied dismissively.

Things calmed down from there. A slightly concerned expression crossed Quill's face. Before Stephen could hazard a guess why, Quill said, "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"The reason you came down here in the first place maybe," Stephen said, offering Quill a hint.

"Right! I'm not sure I want to offer Pietro any now though."

"Hm? Offer me what?"

"Oh, nothing," Quill said teasingly.

Stephen felt like he was looking after children. "Go ahead and close the shop, Pietro. I'll go get the wine."

"Wine, huh? Nice," Pietro said.

Once Pietro had closed the shop, the three of them settled down on the couches in the living room and poured out a few glasses. Stephen took it slow, but Pietro and Quill didn't waste any time downing theirs. He'd picked well apparently-- not that he'd really picked. He'd just bought the most expensive bottle the place sold.

"So, how'd you end up being a thief in the first place?" Pietro asked after refilling his and Quill's glass. Stephen wasn't sure that was a great idea. The wine seemed kind of strong. Still, maybe they had a higher tolerance for it. He let it go for the time being seeing as he didn't want to interrupt the conversation. Pietro's question was one that he was interested in too.

"The guy who raised me is the leader of the Ravagers so I didn't really have much of a choice. If I didn't pull my weight, I didn't eat," Quill said carelessly. Stephen wondered if the wine was loosening Quill up or if he just didn't care if they knew. Stephen had heard of the Ravagers before though. They were fairly infamous around the city. They'd even caused a few problems for the clans in the past. "Not that I particularly regret it. The people we stole from could definitely afford to be a little poorer."

"But you still tried to quit," Stephen pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was mostly because of Steve," Quill admitted, staring down into his glass, "he's the one who put the effort in to get me out of that situation."

"How'd you two meet anyway?"

"He was getting his ass kicked in an alley way," Quill said, smiling at the memory, "the idiot decided to take on more guys than he could handle to help out a stranger. Course, the stranger bailed and left Steve to take the beating that was meant for him. Luckily, I happened to be in the area. I shouted and pretended I was bringing the police with me. Those guys scattered so fast. I patched Steve up after that and we've been friends ever since."

"So you were the one who actually saved the day? That's not what I would have expected considering how much you seem to idolize the guy," Pietro said with a grin.

"It's not like tricking a bunch of dumb thugs is all that brave. I was just following Steve's lead. Any other day, I would have probably minded my own business. It's just... he kept getting up. It was painful to watch so I did something about it."

Pietro continued prodding Quill with more questions about Steve. As Stephen had no desire to hear more about how amazing Steve was, he toned them out for a moment and focused on enjoying his drink as he processed what he'd just learned about Quill. A kid raised by Ravagers, huh? That couldn't have been an easy childhood. It led Stephen to wonder about Quill's biological parents. Even if they were exiles, he doubted they would have knowingly given their child to the leader of a notorious band of mercenaries. Honestly, the fact that the leader of the Ravagers had even bothered raising a child was surprising by itself. The whole situation was quite confounding.

Stephen had gotten so caught up in his thoughts that it took Quill putting his head in Stephen's lap to snap him out of them. "What do you think you're doing?" Stephen asked, looking down at Quill with a frown.

"I loaned you my lap last time," Quill said defiantly, "it's only fair." Stephen looked Pietro's way and noticed that he'd nodded off. He figured it was pretty safe to assume that Quill was drunk. Stephen didn't imagine he'd act this way otherwise. He was impressed that Quill was still coherent though.

"Fine," Stephen sighed. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to indulge him for a little while anyway.

Quill grinned and reached up to pat Stephen on the cheek. He missed and ended up tapping Stephen on the nose. "Good dog," he said.

Stephen was glad Pietro was asleep. He'd have never lived that one down.

\------------------------

Quill woke up with a bit of a headache. That was nothing new. He'd had hangovers before. He was surprised to find himself in a bed though. Stephen must have moved him from the couch. Quill wondered if he had to use his werewolf form to do that. It's not like Quill was particularly light. Either way, it was kind of sweet.

Quill debated going back to sleep for a bit longer before remembering that Stephen had said he'd teach him a few things. That was worth getting up for. Besides, they still had to work on that fertility potion. Quill got out of bed and found some clean clothes set out for him. They were definitely fancier than the ones was used to. It'd feel a little weird wearing them, wouldn't it? Like he was pretending to be someone he wasn't. Quill debated it for awhile longer before deciding that he was overthinking it. They were just clothes. And his current ones were kind of past due for a wash anyway. Actually, he was kind of overdue for a wash himself. Stephen probably wouldn't care if he used the bath, right?

Quill figured it'd be okay and made his way to the bathroom. There, he started the water and stripped down. This was pretty different than what he was used to. If he'd wanted a proper bath in the past, he had to go down to the river. Being able to use an actual tub was nice. He settled in and then started investigating the bottles set along the edge. He popped open the cap on the first one and sniffed at it. It smelled kind of fruity. Like strawberries. Quill tried the other ones and found that they all smelled just as good as the first one. So they were some kind of soap or something? That was his best guess. He ended up dumping a bit of all of them into the water. He was especially delighted when he found out that these mysterious concoctions caused the water to bubble up.

Quill spent another half hour in the bath before deciding that he'd overdone it. He was on his way out of the tub when the door to the bathroom opened. Stephen turned a bright shade of red when he realized he'd just walked in on Quill.

"S-sorry," he stammered, turning around immediately.

"It's not a big deal," Quill said carelessly, "it's not like I'm a woman. I don't have anything you haven't seen before. Besides, I've already seen you naked too."

"That's true," Stephen sighed, "but you shouldn't be so careless around an alpha."

"Yeah, sure," Quill said flippantly as he grabbed a towel and dried off, "hey, Stephen, do you make those bubble making things yourself?"

"I do. Why?"

"Can you teach me to make them? After we make the fertility potion, of course. That comes first." Quill started putting on the clothes Stephen had laid out for him. It took him a minute to figure out all the buttons on the shirt.

"That's what you want to know?"

"One of the things, yes."

"They're not even that special."

"Well, I think they're pretty great."

"Alright, I guess. If that's what you want to learn, I don't see any harm in it."

"Great," Quill said as he pulled on the last new article of clothing. When he saw himself in the mirror he froze. He really did look like a completely different person. Like someone who'd lived their whole life surrounded by luxury. He wasn't sure he liked it.

"Is everything okay, Quill?"

"Yeah," he said, "I'm dressed. You can turn around again."

Stephen seemed to be a bit startled by the change too. He cleared his throat and collected himself before saying, "you look nice."

That made Quill feel a little better about it. Still... "This is just until I get my own clothes washed. Don't get used to it."

"Naturally," Stephen smiled. It's like that was the exact reaction he'd been expecting. Quill wondered if he was becoming too predictable.

"Anyway, when were we going to make that fertility potion?"

"We can do that now. I was going to take a bath, but that's because I thought you were still sleeping. I'll just postpone that until later. Oh, but you haven't had any breakfast. I suppose we should get you something to eat first."

Right. Food. He hadn't actually eaten much yesterday. Just some snack type foods that had been lying around the kitchen while Pietro was manning the shop. He was looking forward to eating something more substantial. "Are we going to try another one of your fancy teas?"

"We can."

"You should teach me how to make those too."

"I'll never get around to teaching you magic if you keep adding more mundane things to the list, you know?" Stephen pointed out in an amused tone.

"I'll learn fast."

"We'll see about that."

The two of them continued talking as they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Quill watched Stephen cook and even ended up helping a bit. Once they were done, they both sat down at the dining table and started eating.

"By the way, what happened to Pietro? Shouldn't he be here?" Quill asked.

"We're closed today so he went home. There's not much point in him staying here since he lives just down the street."

"So we're on our own today?"

Stephen nodded. "Unless someone comes to call, yes. I will probably end up leaving you on your own for a bit though."

"Why?"

"I'll have to leave to deliver the potion we're going to make."

"Ah, right. That makes sense. I just hope it ends up working for them."

"If it doesn't, we'll come up with another solution."

Quill went quiet for a moment. We'll, huh? Quill wondered if Stephen had realized he'd included him so easily. It's not like they had a lot of time to work together. Quill would probably be gone by the time Stephen actually figured out if the first potion had worked or not, one way or another. There wasn't much reason to point that out though. It'd just bring down the mood.

"So what happens if there's a fire while you're gone?" Quill asked, changing the subject.

"Are you planning on lighting my house on fire?"

"Maybe. I was thinking that your magic barrier might drop as a safety precaution for something like that."

Stephen laughed. "Or you might just die horribly."

"Well, which is it?" Quill asked playfully.

"I'm not going to tell."

"Then I guess I'll just have to experiment a little."

"Please don't burn down my house," Stephen replied with a smile, "besides, if you do that, you'll never learn the secret to making my... what did you call them? My bubble making things?"

"Hm. Damn. I guess I'll have to behave a little longer then."

This was nice. If every day was like this, Quill wouldn't mind staying-- provided he could actually leave once and awhile. It wasn't going to be like that though. He could enjoy it as much as he wanted for the time being, but he still had to find a way out before that meeting. And if he could find the genealogy record, he should do that too. He was having second thoughts about stealing from Stephen, but he figured he should keep his options open. Quill could make that kind of call when the time came.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where do you even get things like this?" Quill asked, lifting a jar of a mysterious looking leaves into the light for a better look. They didn't look quite like anything he'd seen before-- not that he was an expert on plants or anything.

"This particular plant," Stephen started, taking the jar from Quill and setting it back on the cluttered table in front of them, "grows deep underground. Therefore, it's better not to expose it to too much light."

"Ah, sorry," Quill muttered.

"It's alright. I would recommend asking before you touch things in the future though."

"Right. Anything in particular you want to warn me about regarding the rest of these?"

"Hm. I wouldn't say it's dangerous, but this one here can be problematic." Stephen pointed out a bottle containing a pink liquid with a bit of a glow to it. It was kind of pretty. Quill was definitely tempted to touch it.

"What makes it so problematic?" Quill asked, crouching down to get a better look.

"It boosts fertility which is why we're using it, but it's also a powerful aphrodisiac. More than a couple of drops and your libido will be in complete control until it wears off."

"Kinky," Quill commented, looking at the bottle with renewed interest. There were definitely people out there who'd spend a lot of money to get their hands on something like that. Rich people were always looking for their next big thrill. "Where do you find that one?"

"You don't. You make it. Vampire blood is the predominant ingredient though. It's probably easy to guess where that comes from."

"Vampires are real too then, huh?" Quill asked with a frown.

"Most of the taverns around here are run by them."

"Wait! Seriously?!"

"I'm very serious. Vampires have more magical means of luring people in and tampering with memories, but they've found that alcohol works just as well. It also has the built in advantage of people not questioning why they've woken up feeling groggy. Honestly, considering your penchant for alcohol, I wouldn't be surprised if you've been bitten once or twice. Ever wake up feeling a bit sore and lethargic after a night drinking?"

"Yeah. I have," Quill mumbled. It wasn't exactly a rare experience either. Maybe Natasha had been doing more than just serving him drinks this whole time. That would explain that strange, ethereal aura she always seemed to have. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Stephen said simply, "the ones living in this city are very careful about how much blood they take. And, if one of them does get out of hand, the Hunters will intervene and remove the problem."

"Hunters?"

"A society of humans that know about the world's more magical elements. They're trained to kill creatures like us from a very young age. That being said, they aren't out to destroy us. Not anymore, at least. Their main goal now is to keep the balance and prevent human casualties."

"So werewolves and vampires get along with them?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but we do have an understanding. It's the same with the vampires. I am actually friends with a couple of them though."

"I bet that comes in handy when you need ingredients like vampire blood."

"It does," Stephen said, "now, shall we get started? Or did you have more questions?"

"I always have more questions. We can get started though."

Stephen had Quill read through the instructions in the recipe book while he set up the equipment they'd need. Most of the steps seemed pretty straightforward, but there was one part that required precise timing. Luckily, Stephen was planning to handle that himself. He'd probably be pretty distracted at that point too. The wheels in Quill's head started to turn as he eyed the pink liquid from earlier. There were some empty bottles around. If Quill was fast enough, he could probably dump a little bit of the liquid into one of them and pocket it without Stephen noticing. Then, assuming he ever got out of here, he could sell it. It wouldn't be worth as much as the book, but it'd be something. Stephen could probably replace it easily enough too.

Stephen asked Quill to hand him the first ingredient, pulling Quill out of his thoughts. It took him a second to pick it out of the line up, but he found the one Stephen requested and gave it to him. "Remember that jar of leaves from earlier?" Stephen asked, "think you could chop up a couple of them for me while I work on mixing the potion's base?"

"You've got it," Quill said enthusiastically. He made sure he kept the jar out of the light as he pulled two larger leaves from it. Then he put them on the cutting board and began chopping them as Stephen had instructed. "This is kind of like cooking, isn't it?"

"Minus the occasional magical incantation, I'd say it's exactly like cooking," Stephen replied. They continued that line of conversation for awhile. Quill found out that Stephen actually used some of the ingredients here in his cooking. Apparently, the leaves that Quill was currently busy cutting up could easily be turned into a bitter tea. Stephen did eventually put a halt to their conversation though when it was time to perform the most complicated step.

When it came to sleight of hand tricks, hesitating is what led to most mistakes. That's why Quill didn't overthink it. As soon as Stephen's focus was elsewhere, he slyly grabbed an empty bottle and slipped some of the pink liquid into it. Once it was in, he capped the bottle and hid it in his clothes before putting the original bottle back where it belonged. Quill worried that he might have taken too much, but Stephen didn't seem to notice when he finally turned back towards him.

Two steps later and the potion was finally complete. "So, how'd we do?" Quill asked, "did it come out alright?"

"I'd say so," Stephen said, taking a better look at it, "I don't usually make things like this, but it seems to match the description in the book." He turned to Quill and added, "you did good."

The praise made Quill feel a little guilty. "Well, yeah," he said, "what'd you expect?"

"I thought I'd have at least one broken bottle by the end of it."

"Really?" Quill frowned.

"I'm kidding," Stephen replied. "I promise I'll trust you with more difficult tasks the next time we make something. I just needed to make sure that this one came out well."

"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't want to be responsible for messing it up for whoever you're giving it to. Must be someone important if you care so much though." Quill crossed his arms, feeling a bit irritated for some reason he couldn't place.

"Is that a little bit of jealousy I detect?" Stephen asked with an amused smile.

Quill stiffened a bit at the accusation. "M-maybe," Quill admitted, "I might be being affected by that attraction to alphas thing you mentioned."

"Probably," Stephen nodded, "I'll teach you how to make a few things to negate those effects when I get back, alright?"

"That'd be good."

Stephen nodded. "Well, time to leave the lab," he said. He conjured up a portal that led back to the house. Quill was never going to get that genealogy record if it was hidden in a room like this one. It probably was too. He tried not to let out a sigh as he stepped through the portal with Stephen. Maybe if he told Stephen he was curious about his parents? That might earn him a glimpse of the book, at least. He probably had to gain some more trust before he brought up something like that though. He'd be better off focusing on the barrier issue while Stephen was out of the house delivering the potion.

"Are you planning to leave right away?" Quill asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"Pick me up something interesting while you're out? It doesn't have to be alcohol this time." Honestly, Quill felt like he should cut down on the drinking after Stephen told him about the vampires running the taverns. It was probably a feeling that would pass with a little time though.

"That's broad."

"You'll think of something."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do," Stephen said. He started heading for the door before stopping and turning back towards Quill. "I'll try not to be out too late, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. See you later." As soon as Stephen left, Quill let out a sigh and leaned against the wall. That felt way too much like a wife sending off her husband. He had to get out of here. Before he didn't want to leave anymore.

Quill slapped his cheeks and focused. The barrier! He knew it blocked the front door, but he didn't actually know about the house's other exits. His hopes weren't exactly high, but checking all of the windows while Stephen was gone was worth a try. Quill looked at the fireplace. Maybe the chimney could be a way out... Well, it was time to do some experimenting.

\------------------------

Something interesting, huh? Stephen paid more attention to the shops he passed on his way to Stark's mansion than usual. There were definitely more important things to think about, but the task Quill had given him ended up pulling his focus. Clothes, books, flowers, children's toys... Honestly, of all those things, Stephen got the feeling Quill would enjoy a toy the most. The idea of buying a fully grown adult a children's toy seemed a bit demeaning though. He sighed and continued on his way. He'd figure it out after he saw Wanda.

As he made his way up the steps to Stark's mansion, the front door opened. A woman with short blond hair chuckled at someone still inside the house. It didn't take more than a second for Stephen to identify her as Carol Danvers, Star Clan's leader. Rhodey, the beta serving as Wanda's body guard, came into view and planted a flirtatious kiss on her lips. Carol responded by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in closer. Stephen ended up watching the two of them make out for an uncomfortable minute before they finally broke apart. They said one last goodbye and then Rhodey went back inside while Carol started making her way down the steps. That's when she noticed Stephen.

"Ah, Strange. Hello," she said calmly.

"Danvers," Stephen replied with a nod. "I didn't realize you two were still seeing each other."

"Why would we stop? Rhodey is easily my favorite male partner."

Carol tended to treat romance as a casual experience. If she saw someone she liked, she went for it. Easy as that. She never got hung up on the details of status or propriety. Monogamy wasn't a concern either. Carol often had multiple partners at any given time, both male and female. He supposed that was a big part of why she wasn't interested in claiming an omega. Once an alpha was paired off with one, they were expected to mate with them exclusively. At least, until the omega was pregnant. There was a certain freedom to not being bound to one. Stephen had never really taken advantage of that, but a part of him did honestly respect Carol a bit for living so unreservedly. "Should we be expecting children from you two in the future?" Stephen asked teasingly.

Carol smiled. There was a little bit of smugness to it as she said, "I think you have the wrong idea about our positions."

"That was more information than I needed to know," Stephen said, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Of course Carol would be a top in any situation. She was definitely taking advantage of being an alpha.

"You started it."

"And now I regret it."

"You could afford to loosen up a little, you know? It's been what? Half a decade since you last took a lover?"

"A little over, actually," Stephen admitted.

"Even T'Challa has had the occasional tryst and you know how committed he is to getting himself an omega. It's not like you're hurting for options either."

"I appreciate your concern for my love life, but I'm not interested."

"Fair enough," Carol said with a shrug, "but I do think you're missing out. There's no real reason for you to hold yourself back. Especially since you've already made it clear you're not trying to get an omega."

Stephen automatically sighed when he thought back to how Peter had propositioned him the last time he'd visited Stark's mansion. He still didn't know how to feel about that. If he decided to take the kid up on his offer, he'd be in for a world of trouble he didn't really want. He'd feel bad about turning him down though.

"Unless you've changed your mind?" Carol asked cautiously in response to Stephen's reaction.

"I don't know," Stephen answered with a frown, "Peter asked for me specifically."

"And Tony didn't murder you immediately?"

"I'm fairly certain he wanted to," Stephen smiled.

Carol smiled back. "He's a good kid. I wouldn't peg him as your type, but it might end up being a decent match."

"So you'd support my bid if I did try to claim him?"

"I support an omega's right to choose their partner. If Peter has decided that he wants it to be you, I'll vote in favor of it," Carol said firmly. That was another thing Stephen liked about Carol. Her willingness to balk tradition in favor of more freedom for omegas wasn't a realistic way to keep the bloodline strong, but it was the right thing to do morally. Stephen kind of wished he had the nerve to follow her lead. Staying out of it entirely was easier though. "I'll probably be the only one who does support you though," Carol continued, crossing her arms thoughtfully, "if you can't get Tony's blessing, I don't see it happening. Not unless you take it to the arena."

When trying to claim an omega, the clan leaders took a vote. If three out of the five voted in favor, the omega would be granted to the alpha who'd made the request. If only two voted in favor, the request would be dismissed. However, if the alpha making the request chose to persist, they could force the outcome to be decided in the arena. In that case, any of the clan leaders could decide to take on the challenging alpha in battle. The fights were brutal and death was a very real possibility. Still, if the challenging alpha came out on top, they'd be able to claim the omega they'd sought in the first place. Alternatively, if a different alpha won, they had control over the challenging alpha's fate. That could easily mean demotion, exile, or death. All in all, the arena was an option Stephen had no intention of taking. "I think you're right about that," Stephen sighed, "in any case, I'm not sure what I want to do yet. I'll worry about convincing Tony when and if I decide to actually go through with it."

"Good luck," Carol said, patting him on the shoulder, "whether you have to turn Peter down or get Tony to let him go, you'll need it." That done, she moved past Stephen and headed on her way without a formal goodbye.

Stephen made his way up the rest of the stairs and knocked on the front door. Like last time, Happy was the one who answered it. He led Stephen to the waiting area where he was surprised to find T'Challa. "Are all of the clan leaders visiting Stark's mansion today?" Stephen asked in an amused tone.

T'Challa smiled and responded, "I haven't seen Odinson yet." He got up and went over to Stephen. They exchanged a quick hug and then both took a seat on opposite couches. "Are you here to see Wanda?" T'Challa asked once he was settled in again.

Stephen nodded. "How about you?"

"Peter," T'Challa answered, "at least, that's who Shuri is here to see. I'm just waiting around until they're finished and keeping Bucky occupied."

Stephen glanced at the doorway and caught sight of Bucky hovering. Stephen supposed Tony had sent him to keep a close eye on T'Challa. It was nice to know Stephen wasn't the only alpha Tony didn't trust. "That doesn't sound particularly exciting."

"It's not as bad as it sounds," T'Challa said, "there are plenty of books around that I can read and I'm sure that Bucky will be quite the conversationalist once he does get around to actually talking."

Stephen wouldn't count on it. He didn't get a chance to comment on it, however, seeing as Tony came into the room a few seconds later. "Wanda or Peter?" he asked Stephen, getting straight to the point.

"Wanda," Stephen answered simply. He briefly wondered what'd happen if he'd said Peter. Nothing good probably. Stephen wouldn't be surprised if Tony had banned Peter from seeing him after that proposition he'd made. That was probably for the best since Stephen didn't have a proper reply prepared anyway.

"She's in the backyard at the moment."

"I'll go see her right away then," Stephen said. He got up from his seat and headed to the backyard. 

It wasn't hard to find Wanda. She stood in front of an easel placed underneath a tall tree. She was so focused on what she was painting that she didn't see him approach. Her quick, frantic strokes told him that this wasn't a normal painting.

"Wanda," he said gently.

She blinked and then turned towards him, taking in her surroundings as if they were all new to her. 

"You were having another one of your visions."

Wanda looked at the painting in front of her as Stephen took a step closer to get a look at it himself. Wanda had originally been working on a landscape. The carefully crafted image had been painted over by sketchy black lines that formed a humanoid shape. In the center of its forehead was a yellow dot. Wanda picked up the canvas and took another long look. "I think... that this is somebody I'm going to meet," she said.

"Is he dangerous?"

"No," Wanda shook her head. "I don't think so. That's not the feeling I get from him. He's... warm. If that makes any sense." She looked at Stephen with a frown and said, "there was something else before that though. In the flashes." By that she meant the series of images that came to her in quick succession before her vision focused in on the main one. They were usually too fast for her to make sense of them, but occasionally she'd remember a particularly striking one. The problem was that they were more unreliable. While the final part almost always came true, the others were mere possibilities. "It only lasted for a second, but I saw you. You were in your werewolf form and you were injured. Badly. You might have been dying. Stephen, I..."

"Not everything you see comes to pass," Stephen said calmly. Her words did have him a little concerned, but he refused to show it. He didn't want to worry Wanda. "I will try to be more careful though, alright?"

He could tell Wanda wasn't satisfied with that answer. She did seem to accept it though. Her gift was unique and powerful, but it could also be misleading. Stephen had warned her not to put too much faith in it. There was probably some way to hone it, but he didn't know how to help her accomplish that. Her innate magic was so wildly different than anything he'd seen before. It's why he'd been so thrilled when she'd agreed to be his student. It's also why he'd been so devastated when she quit to marry Tony. Stephen had told her they could continue their lessons anyway, but Wanda had other dreams. She wanted to focus on raising her future children. That made her current situation all that more heartbreaking.

"I brought you this," Stephen said, pulling out the potion he'd made with Quill earlier. "It's a fertility potion. Hopefully, it will give you the boost you need to get pregnant."

Wanda's expression softened as she managed a smile. "I knew you'd come through for me."

"Naturally," Stephen replied, "and don't worry if it doesn't work. We will find a solution. One way or another."

"I hope that's true," she sighed, "I don't know what will happen if Tony and I can't have children."

Stephen did. At least, he had a pretty good idea. Their marriage would be nullified and Wanda would be passed on to another alpha to see if that made a difference. Omegas were too rare to waste on a potentially impotent alpha, after all. Stephen didn't want Wanda to go through that. She'd chosen Tony herself and, as prickly as he was around Stephen lately, Stephen knew that he was good to her. "I know you don't want to tell Tony, but you probably should. Your chances will be better if both of you are working together."

"I know, I just... Let me at least try this first."

"Fair enough. As always, I will respect your wishes."

"Thank you, Stephen."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No," Wanda said, "this is more than enough. I'm sure you have your hands full with your own problems anyway."

She was right about that. Quill's arrival had certainly turned his usual routine upside down. And the Peter issue hadn't made matters any simpler. Picking out a gift for Quill was honestly the least of his worries. Actually, now that he was thinking about it... Wanda might be a good person to ask. "You know, I could use your help with something, if you don't mind."

"Of course," she said, looking at him curiously, "what did you need?"

"I need to get a gift for someone, but I'm not sure what to get."

"A gift for someone, huh?" Wanda smiled coyly.

"Please don't read too much into it," Stephen frowned, blushing slightly.

"What's this person like?"

"Well, he's... curious... creative, willful, and self assured." Stephen realized that he was only listing traits that could be considered positive. Wanda would definitely get the wrong idea with descriptors like that. Thus, Stephen added, "kind of a brat. Childish and low class."

"Okay..." Wanda said with a frown, "that's an interesting combination. I think I can safely say that I haven't met this person."

"You haven't."

"I'm curious as to how you did though."

"I'd rather not go into it right now."

"That's disappointing, but alright. Let's see, based on what you've told me..." Wanda took a moment to think it through. "Chocolate? I think most people can appreciate something like that. You can get some really fancy ones too. Also, if by low class you meant that he's poor, he may not have actually had a chance to try some. Chocolate is a bit of a luxury item, after all."

"Hm. That's a good idea," Stephen said, "I think I will get him some chocolate."

\------------------------

Quill had spent the day checking the house's exits. The chimney was the only place left. Going up it'd mean dirtying the clothes Stephen had loaned him, but he was out of other options. He had to give it a go. He crouched down and made his way into the fireplace before starting the climb upward. Sure enough, he was covered head to toe in soot in a matter of seconds. He was halfway up the chimney when he heard a knock at the door. Seeing as he was supposed to be a bit of a secret, Quill ignored it and continued doing what he was doing. That is, until the knocking got more frantic.

"Come on, Stephen, please! Open up! I'm in some real trouble here!" a voice came from outside. Quill hesitated and then made his way back down. Whoever it was sounded desperate. There might not actually be anything he could do in Stephen's place, but he wouldn't know that unless he answered the door. When he opened it up, he saw that the person knocking was actually a raccoon... more or less. A wereraccoon? Werecoon? Either way, the creature looked pretty startled to see Quill. Still, after taking a second to process, he seemed to decide that Quill was his only option. "You've got to hide me!"

"Uh, yeah. Okay. Just go find a place, I guess?" The raccoon creature darted off. Quill closed the door, wondering if Stephen would be mad at him. He was so wrapped up in worst case scenarios that when the next person knocked on the door, he answered it automatically. Probably shouldn't have done that. He cleared his throat and addressed the new guy at the door in his best imitation of a household servant. "Can I help you with something, sir?"

The man had short, swept up brown hair and a stern expression. Oddly enough, he had a bow strapped to his back. Who actually used a bows in this day and age? Quill found him just as odd as the man probably found Quill. "You're... the new servant or something?"

"That's right. I'm afraid you've caught me in the middle of cleaning out the fireplace."

"And it's that much of a mess?"

"Oh yes. I'm afraid whoever was working here before me completely neglected it. Now, the master of the house is currently out and about. Did you have a message I could pass on to him? I would appreciate being able to finish my work in time to change into a clean set of attire as it would be most devastating if he were to see me in such a state."

"Tell him Clint Barton came by. That should be enough."

"Clint Barton. Got it. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"You didn't happen to see a large raccoon pass by here, did you?"

"I was in the house the whole time, so no. And I assure you, if such a creature tired to enter my master's sacred domain I would beat it to a pulp with my broom. No vermin will sully this good house while I live and breathe!"

"Right then," Clint responded with a frown. The conversation seemed to have worn him out. In fairness, Quill would have probably been a bit taken aback by talking to someone with the personality he'd decided to adopt for his act too. Clint said a quick goodbye and left immediately. Quill closed the door and let out a deep breath.

"Hah!" the raccoon started, coming back out into the open, "that was hilarious. I can't believe he fell for your dumb act."

"Honestly, I think he just didn't want to deal with me any longer than he had to," Quill grinned.

"Yeah, that makes sense," the raccoon nodded, "thanks, by the way. You really saved my hide back there."

"What was he going to do to you?"

"Kill me or take me in so they can put me on trial before killing me. Probably," the raccoon sighed, "that guy is a hunter and they've currently got it in their head that I murdered some cop guy."

"Which you didn't, right?" Quill really hoped he hadn't let in a murderer.

"Damn right," the raccoon said firmly, "I've been framed. I'm hoping Stephen can help me sort it out."

"Well, that'll have to wait a bit. Stephen is out right now."

"I figured that much out when you were the one who answered the door. Didn't know Stephen had someone new staying here though..."

"I'm Peter Quill, by the way. I just go by Quill though."

"Rocket," the Raccoon said, extending his paw. Quill shook it.

"You're some kind of wereraccoon then?"

"Yeah. Only one of my kind left as far as I can tell too."

"So you have a human form? Which would make you an alpha, right?"

"I do. I figured the raccoon form would be a little more low profile at the moment though. And yes, I'm an alpha. What's with all the questions though? Don't you know this stuff already? I mean, you're a were too, right?" Rocket asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You do make me feel a little funny..." He took a closer look at Quill and his eyes widened. "Wait. Don't tell me... Are you an omega?"


	5. Chapter 5

"I would appreciate an explanation," Stephen said, doing his best to keep his tone neutral as he looked Quill over. Rocket's presence was a concern as well, but that was somehow less alarming than the fact that Quill was completely covered in soot and that he had tracked it over a good portion of the house.

"Look, I know you probably didn't want me to answer the door, but I couldn't just leave Rocket out there," Quill started.

Stephen held up a hand, stopping him there. "We'll get to that in a minute. That's not what I'm talking about right now. How can you be this dirty already? You just took a bath this morning!"

"Yeah, well, it's not my fault your fireplace was so filthy. That's a fire hazard, you know?"

"What were you doing in my fireplace in the first place?" Stephen hoped to god Quill hadn't been serious about setting his house on fire to test his barrier magic. Surely he wasn't daft enough to attempt something that suicidal.

"I'm not telling."

Stephen rubbed his forehead. "Then I'm not giving you the present I bought you."

"You really got me something?" Quill asked, perking up slightly, "what is it?"

"You'll never know."

Quill frowned at that. Stephen could practically see the wheels turning in his head. For a second, Stephen wondered if a simple threat like that would actually get Quill to talk. A moment later, he got his answer as Quill crossed his arms and said, "you're mean."

"I am," Stephen said, completely unsympathetic to Quill's plight. "I may-- and I emphasize the word may-- reconsider my stance if you clean up the mess you've made."

Quill let out an annoyed sigh. "Yeah, fine. I guess that's fair."

Rocket cleared his throat. "While I hate to break up this lover's spat--"

"We aren't lovers!" Quill growled defensively.

"Yeah? Stephen isn't your alpha?" Rocket asked curiously, immediately diverting from his original line of thought. Stephen didn't like that. The fact that he'd gotten distracted so easily definitely meant that he was interested in Quill.

"No, I am not his alpha," Stephen said firmly, "Quill isn't currently tied to anyone."

"No kidding?"

"Don't get any ideas. There's almost no chance of him getting paired with an alpha that isn't a clan leader."

"I know that," Rocket grumbled.

"Do you?" Stephen asked in a challenging tone. His alpha instincts were definitely influencing his need to put Rocket in his place.

"Yeah, I get it," Rocket snapped back, "it's not like you guys are interested in preserving were species that aren't wolves! The only reason T'Challa and his werecats get a pass is because they're powerful enough to be a problem for you if you don't keep them satisfied! Thus, the high and mighty dogs have to tuck their tails between their legs and--"

Stephen was almost goaded into transforming into a werewolf and attacking Rocket. Luckily, Quill saw what was happening and immediately placed himself between the two, slapping Stephen across the face for good measure. The surprise attack pulled his attention away from Rocket and focused it on Quill. "Enough," Quill said sternly. He looked back at Rocket and said, "you too." Once both of them backed off, Quill let out a relieved sigh and added, "geez. Is it always like this when two alphas are around an omega?"

"Not necessarily," Stephen admitted, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Usually he was more controlled than this. He'd seen this sort of thing happen between his colleagues, but he'd taken pride in the fact that he'd never been a part of those spats. When it came to Quill though... his reactions seemed to be more extreme. Stephen recomposed himself and said, "I apologize, Rocket. I took things too far."

"Yeah, me too," Rocket said, looking at his feet, "sorry."

"That's better," Quill said, seemingly satisfied with their resolution. "Now, Rocket here is in a bit of a bind. He needs our help."

"What did you do this time?" Stephen asked.

"That's the worst part! I didn't actually do anything wrong this time," Rocket replied, "I was just on my way back from meeting my druid buddy Groot in the forest outside the city. How was I supposed to know I'd end up stumbling across a corpse? Of course, someone saw me next to the body and got the wrong idea. Next thing I know, the police are after me. I considered turning myself in and explaining things, but with my record..." Yeah, Stephen doubted they'd give Rocket the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't sure running was the correct course of action though. "To make matters worse, now I've got hunters on my ass."

"A guy named Clint Barton came by looking for Rocket," Quill added, "he wanted me to tell you that."

Stephen took a deep breath. Well, this was a mess. As if he didn't have enough to deal with. Still, he shoved his grievances aside and focused on coming up with a plan. The first thing he needed to do was buy some time to sort things out. A rational conversation with Clint was probably the best way to do that. That decided, Stephen walked over to the nearest mirror and traced a symbol in the air. Stephen's reflection was replaced by an image of the run down room Clint was currently staying in. "Clint," Stephen said, "are you there?"

"I am," Clint responded, coming into frame. "I take it you got my message? Your new servant seems a little off, by the way."

Stephen looked Quill's way. He was off to the side so Clint couldn't see him or Rocket. "He's... not my servant. He's an idiot."

"Hey!" Quill protested.

Stephen ignored him and turned his attention back towards Clint. "Rocket is here with me."

"Come on!" Rocket growled, "you weren't supposed to tell him that!"

Stephen held up a finger to shush Rocket. "He is currently under my protection."

"I was afraid of that," Clint sighed, "you do realize that we can't let that stand, right?"

"I understand that you have a job to do. I respect that. In this case, however, I believe that you have the wrong man. Rocket says he didn't kill anyone and I believe him," Stephen said, "and before you and the rest of the hunters start a war over this, I hope that you'll give me the time to prove it."

Clint ran a hand through his hair as he thought it over. "I do think we jumped in a little hastily on this one. I'm not sure I'll be able to get the others to agree though. Most of them want the situation taken care of swiftly."

"Why bother collecting facts first, right?" Stephen said with a bitter frown.

"Stephen, I admit that a lot of our older members are working with archaic ideologies, but they have those ideologies for a reason. You've heard the stories. They come from a time where waiting cost more lives. It was better to slaughter a creature that was potentially innocent than risk letting a guilty one go. Times have changed, but that doesn't mean we aren't afraid of what might happen if we let too many things slide." Stephen supposed he could follow that logic. Humans were so much weaker than the creatures they were up against that they had to rely on every advantage they could get. That didn't allow for much leniency. "It'd be easier to convince them to give you time you need if you allowed us to hold onto Rocket while you conducted your investigation."

"That's not going to happen. He put his trust in me and I'm not going to violate that."

"I figured as much," Clint sighed, "well, it won't be easy, but I'll see what I can do. You might want to hurry though. I can already tell you that whatever time I do end up buying you won't be a lot." He made sure to look at Stephen directly as he added, "and, if you're wrong about Rocket and it turns out that he is guilty..."

"I will turn him over to you and the rest of the hunters without hesitation."

Clint nodded. Taking that as the end of the conversation, Stephen terminated the spell. The mirror returned to reflecting Stephen's image back at him.

"I don't know about this, Stephen," Rocket said with a groan.

"It'll be fine. Considering how you found the body, I doubt someone was planning to set you up. That means there should be plenty of contradictions we can use to solidify our case," Stephen said. He wasn't quite as confident as he was projecting, but reassuring Rocket was the best way to ensure he didn't try anything stupid like fleeing the city.

"Fair point. So, where do we start?"

"You start by staying put and lying low," Stephen said as he traced a new symbol in the air. Rocket immediately recognized what he was doing.

"You're trapping me here?" he asked with a growl.

"I am. For the time being," Stephen said, "I was serious when I said I'd turn you in if you ended up being guilty. Keeping you here means that you can't run away and that you can't get into further trouble."

"It also means I'm a sitting duck!"

"No, it doesn't. The magic protecting this house should keep away anyone coming after you. And, if the hunters go through the effort of trying to take it down, I'll know in time to come to your rescue."

Rocket grumbled some more, but didn't offer up an actual protest this time.

"So, what about me?" Quill asked.

"What about you?" Stephen asked.

"Can I go with you? I'm pretty resourceful, you know? I could end up being useful."

Stephen actually considered the request. Normally he'd say no without a second thought, but he was worried about leaving Quill to his own devices. Also, more than that, he didn't want to leave Quill alone with Rocket. Quill was clearly the kind of omega that both of them gravitated towards. Leaving the two of them behind was asking for something to happen. "You can come," Stephen said finally, "but that means I need a minute to prepare a few things." He looked Quill over again and added, "which I guess works out since it will give you time to clean up a bit and change clothes. You can grab a new set from my room."

"Okay," Quill replied enthusiastically. He'd probably be less excited when he found out what Stephen had in mind to keep him from running off.

"Any chance I can borrow some clothes too?" Rocket asked, "as much as I enjoy my raccoon form, it'd be nice to get back to being human." Stephen almost wanted to say no. Rocket was a little rough around the edges, but he was actually a good looking guy. Quill would definitely notice if he changed back. But the possibility of Rocket sitting on his furniture in the nude while they were gone was enough incentive to let him have the damn clothes.

"That'll be fine," Stephen replied. 

They then went their separate ways to complete their various tasks. The first thing Stephen did was create a portal to his laboratory. Considering how he'd been acting around Quill, he figured it'd be best to give him something that would obscure his status as an omega. That should calm things down a little at least. Luckily, he still had a few potions already prepared from the time when Wanda was his student. He grabbed one of them and then used another portal to return to the house. Then he went upstairs to fetch the next couple of items he needed. In one of the display cases, a pair of rings were mixed in with a couple of other artifacts. Stephen opened up the case and grabbed them. He put one of them on his own finger and then went to fetch Quill, catching him in the process of washing off his arms in the bathroom. It looked like he'd already gotten most of the soot off and was in the process of going over everything one last time. Stephen leaned against the door frame and, in lieu of a proper greeting, said, "I hope that you'll treat my clothes with more care this time around."

"Hmm. I don't know about that. Are you going to give me that gift you got me?" Quill replied, splashing his face this time.

"Is that a threat?" Stephen had honestly forgotten about the chocolates tucked away in his coat with all the Rocket drama going on until just now.

"Maybe. Only time will tell."

"Fine," Stephen said with a reluctant annoyance, "let me see your hand."

Quill looked a little confused, but held out his hand anyway. Stephen placed the other ring on Quill's finger. "You got me a ring?"

"No, I didn't. That's to keep you from running away once we leave the house. As long as you're wearing that, you can't wander more than ten feet away from me. And don't bother trying to take it off. That one won't come off until I remove mine."

"So... you're saying that you tricked me?"

"Did you expect to actually give in to your demands?"

"No," Quill pouted, "I just really wanted to know what you got me."

Stephen sighed. He supposed it wouldn't actually hurt to give them to him. Maybe buying some good will now would make Quill more cooperative during their investigation. At least, that's how Stephen tried to justify it. He pulled the box out of his coat and handed it over to Quill.

Quill grinned. "Wow. You're actually a real softie, aren't you? That was way too easy."

Stephen bristled at the comment, instantly regretting that he'd actually given in.

"Thank you," Quill chuckled. At least someone was enjoying themselves. Quill really was-- Stephen froze as Quill took a step closer. He leaned in and placed a quick peck on Stephen's cheek. Stephen didn't regret it so much anymore. Of course, as soon as Quill pulled away, he turned a bright red and hid his face behind the box of chocolates. "Er, sorry. I don't know why I did that. I'll, uh, just excuse myself."

"Quill, wait! The--"

Quill retreated before Stephen could finish the sentence. Once he hit the end of the ten foot limit, the spell on the rings knocked him backward onto the ground.

"Rings," Stephen finished. He went over to Quill with a sigh and offered him a hand up. Quill took it and got back to his feet. "Here," Stephen said, handing over the potion next, "this will suppress your omega instincts and keep other alphas from recognizing you as one. It should prevent incidents like that one just now from happening."

"Good. That should save me some future embarrassment," Quill said, averting his gaze, "I thought that you said it wasn't supposed to be that bad though. Not until we were closer to the full moon anyway."

"It is worse than usual," Stephen admitted. Alphas reacted a little differently to each omega. Certain pairings were more inherently more compatible. However, that still didn't explain how drastic their connection seemed to be. It just didn't make sense with how far away the full moon still was. "I don't know why. The potion should help for now though."

"I hope so," Quill said. He tucked the box of chocolates under his arm and uncorked the bottle. "Do I take all of it in one go?"

"A single sip will last you a couple of hours," Stephen said, "take some whenever you feel like you need to."

"Got it." Quill took a sip and then put the cork back on the bottle before hiding it away in his clothes. He then pulled the box of chocolates back out. "I didn't actually get a good look at what you got me," Quill said. Stephen supposed it wasn't obvious from the design of the box. At least, not if you'd never had them before. Quill opened the box and took a second to process what was inside. "Hold on. Is this chocolate?"

"It is."

"I've never actually had any before," Quill said excitedly. "Yondu was always such a stickler about it." Quill frowned dramatically and adopted a gruff voice that Stephen assumed was supposed to be Yondu's, "boy, you're better off not getting used to things meant for fancy people." Resuming his normal voice, he added, "as he ate the chocolate I'd stolen fair and square right in front of me. What a hypocrite. I was just a kid too."

Stephen chose to ignore the fact that Quill had stolen the chocolate. It made sympathizing him a little easier. And, in fairness, that did sound a little messed up-- not that Yondu had ever sounded like an ideal father figure in the first place. "Well, now you can finally try some."

"Don't mind if I do," Quill said. He picked out a piece and popped it into his mouth. He took a moment to savor it and then swallowed. Then he looked down at the remaining ones. "I'll be honest, I'm probably going to eat all of these right now."

"It was a good gift then?"

"Definitely."

\------------------------

"It's good to be outside again," Quill said, stretching as they walked down the street. He'd only been cooped up for a few days, but it'd felt like a month to him. Quill really wasn't good at staying in one place-- even one as comfortable as Stephen's house. Out on the city streets felt more natural. Quill closed his eyes and took in the scent of the bakery they were passing by. He'd missed that smell. 

"Don't forget that we have a job to do," Stephen replied.

Right. They had to clear Rocket's name. Quill focused and asked, "where do we start?"

"We need to see if we can take a look at the body."

That was easier said than done. Since the murder was so recent, the body was probably still being stored at the station. It was a bit unusual, but part of the city's police station was set up for that sort of thing. They even had a doctor on call that specialized in autopsies. Stephen and Quill definitely weren't just allowed to waltz in there though. They'd have to sneak into the part of the station where the bodies were held if they were going to take a proper look. Quill wasn't confident in his ability to make deductions, but he did think he'd be capable of providing a sufficient distraction for Stephen. "Are you confident in your sneaking abilities? Because if you are, I can draw their attention."

"Or I could ask my contact in the police to let us in."

"Or you could do that," Quill frowned. How was he supposed to know Stephen had an in like that?

The two finished making their way to the station. Stephen immediately went up to the front desk and asked for a man named Sam Wilson. They had to wait a minute, but eventually the man in question came out to see them. The fact that he didn't bother hiding his frustration gave Quill the impression that he was an honest person. There weren't too many people like that around. "We're kind of busy here, Stephen," Sam said bluntly, "any chance you could make this quick?"

Stephen nodded and got straight to the point, "Rocket is the prime suspect for a murder that took place the other day and now the hunters are after him. I'm hoping to find proof that he didn't do it."

"So, basically, you want to take a look at the body?"

"Exactly."

"That's the thing," Sam sighed. He took a quick look around to make sure nobody was listening in and then said, "I'm obviously not supposed to tell you this, but the body is missing."

"What?"

"It's missing. As in, it's gone," Sam repeated, "we suspect someone took it, but we don't actually know anything for sure."

Stephen slipped into his thoughts so Quill went ahead and asked the next question himself. "Did you at least get to see the body before it went missing?"

"Yeah, I did," Sam said sadly, "it belonged to one of our own, a cop named Jarvis. Thing is, he'd gone missing about a week before his death. An investigation gone wrong. At least, that's what we assumed. Christine got a chance to look at his body before... Well, anyway, there was a wound on Jarvis' stomach. A slash. The current theory going around the station is that it was done by some kind of sword, but I think it was one of our kind. A werewolf or something similar. Maybe an exile. The wound didn't kill Jarvis outright. He bled to death on the street."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's... Well, it's not alright, but we know what we're getting into when we sign up for this job," Sam said. "I can give you two Jarvis' address if you think it'll help, but we didn't find anything when we conducted our search. I don't know what else I can tell you."

"We'll take that address," Stephen said, "I might be able to find something they missed. Especially if you're right about someone supernatural being involved."

Sam nodded. He went over to the main desk and jotted the information down on a piece of paper before bringing it back over to Stephen. "If you need anything else, let me know," Sam said, "I'd like to get to the bottom of this too."

"I'll keep you updated," Stephen said.

Their business concluded, Stephen and Quill left the station. Once they were back outside, Quill asked, "beta?"

"Sam? Yes."

"What clan?"

"Iron clan."

While Quill was in the process of sorting things out, he figured he should ask about Rocket too. "What clan is Rocket from?"

"Star clan. Species that don't have a clan of their own tend to be taken in by them."

Quill nodded. "Do you think our culprit is really an exile?"

"That's what I'd like to believe. It's easier than thinking someone from one of our clans is to blame," Stephen replied, "we won't know for sure until we do some proper digging though."

"Right. So Jarvis' place first or the spot where Rocket found the body?"

"Let's check out the crime scene first. There's more foot traffic in that area so the longer we wait, the more likely it is that we'll lose any potential evidence that might still be there."

"Sounds logical enough to me." 

\------------------------

The man's eyes flickered open. The light from the chandelier above was a bit blinding at first, but his sight eventually adjusted. He slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. He'd been lying naked on a table in the center of what appeared to be some kind of lab. His stomach ached, causing him to look down. There was a large gash across his it that had been recently stitched up. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten the wound. In fact, he found he couldn't remember much at all. Basic things like how to calculate math equations and how to speak were still there, but he didn't have any memories.

Spotting a mirror among all the clutter, the man placed his feet on the floor and attempted to get up. He stumbled a bit at first, but eventually made it to his destination. A blond man with a yellow gem placed in the center of his forehead stared back at him. He touched his face gingerly, confirming that this was indeed his reflection, his body. Why couldn't he remember it?

"Ah, I see you're up already." The speaker was a middle aged man with medium length grey hair and a beard. There was something charismatic about him. However, something about his presence also felt off-- as if that charisma was a mask for something else.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the man repeated the question in an amused tone, as if the very idea of someone not knowing was absurd. "My boy, I am Ego, leader of the Exiled Clan. But we can talk more about that later. Right now, I'm here to talk about you."

"You know who I am?"

"I do. You were a man named Jarvis. Now though... You are so much more. You are a piece of the puzzle we've been trying to solve for ages. One of our most important ones, in fact."

"I don't understand."

"That's alright. You don't need to understand everything just yet. All you need to know is that you are now a part of my vision."

Vision. Something about that word stood out to him. "I don't think I am Jarvis," he replied, "I think I am Vision."

Ego hesitated for a moment, but then seemed to accept the statement. "If that's the name you prefer to be called, I don't see why not," Ego said with a shrug and a smile, "it does seem more appropriate, doesn't it?"


	6. Chapter 6

"This is the spot?" Quill asked as Stephen came to a halt at the end of the street. 

Stephen didn't give him an immediate answer. Instead, he took a closer look around the area as he made a few subtle gestures with his hand. Some kind of magic spell? Quill tried to copy the movements himself. When Stephen looked back at him, Quill stopped, but not quite in time to keep Stephen from noticing what he'd been doing. Stephen frowned. Quill thought for sure he was about to be scolded, but Stephen chose a different approach. He went over to Quill and lifted up his hand, folding his fingers into the correct positions. "That's the first part, alright? Then you adjust the position of this finger here." He talked Quill through the next steps, ending with, "and then you blow, like you're trying to get dust off a surface without touching it."

Quill nodded and repeated the steps Stephen had shown him. It didn't seem to change anything though. Quill couldn't decide if he'd messed up somewhere or if Stephen had purposely given him the wrong information to see if he was stupid enough to actually try it. Well, he'd tried it.

"Try it again," Stephen said.

Quill did. He was a little self conscious about it though considering how closely Stephen was watching him. In the end, Quill still failed to cast the spell properly.

"You have the motions right."

"Then what am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why isn't it working?"

"Most likely? Because you have no previous experience with magic. It can take awhile to learn how to tap into your innate abilities."

"Then why did you have me try in the first place?" Quill grumbled.

"I was curious to see if you could do it," Stephen said, "it's practically instinct for some people. The last person I taught was able to cast the spell on her first try."

"Well, good for her," Quill sulked.

"There's no need to be jealous. Natural talent helps, but no amount of talent can make up for putting the time and effort in."

"You sound like Steve right now."

"Then it sounds like you should listen to him more," Stephen replied sternly, "in any case, this isn't as much of a set back as you might think. It took me a longer time to get a hang of it than, well, almost everyone."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And they still made you leader of Magic Clan?" Quill asked teasingly, "must have been pretty desperate."

"Brat," Stephen smiled, "and for your information, I made sure that they couldn't ignore me. Nothing motivates me more than failing at something."

Whenever Quill failed at something, his usual solution was to find a way to work around it. It had made him adaptable and there was definitely some advantage to that, but there were times where he probably should have faced his problems more head on. Steve's stubborn streak was a big part of why he admired the guy. Stephen seemed to share that trait. Their motivations were different though. While Steve fought because he felt it was the right thing to do, Stephen did it so that he could eliminate his weaknesses. Both of them were kind of cool though. As far as Quill was concerned.

"We can practice it more later," Stephen continued, "but for now, let's focus on the task at hand, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Quill replied, "um, what was that spell supposed to do anyway?"

"It picks up on events in the past."

"That sounds powerful."

"It is, but it's limited. The past events you can see have to be tied to strong emotions. Things that linger like pain and death. The images aren't clear either. Specific details like faces are usually obscured."

"It's still a start."

"Exactly. Now, do me a favor and let me concentrate for a moment."

Quill nodded and went quiet. He watched as Stephen recast the spell and then started following something. His pace was slow and his gaze was fixed on the ground. Jarvis then? Struggling to crawl to safety as he bled out? Maybe Quill should be glad he wasn't able to cast the spell. Even if things were obscured, it might have been hard to watch. Stephen stopped for a moment. Then he turned around and retraced his steps. Quill followed him down an alley until Stephen came to a halt.

"The memory ends here," Stephen said, taking a look at his surroundings, "this is all we get."

"No sign of the person who was after him?"

Stephen shook his head. "He didn't do anything unusual either. The only thing of note that I'm seeing is that the blood trail he left behind goes off in this direction."

"Towards the docks," Quill said, "maybe..." If something happened around there, there was a chance the Ravagers had seen it. Making up his mind, Quill tugged at Stephen's sleeve. Once he got his attention, Quill asked, "want to go meet my 'dad'?"

"From what you've told me about him? Not really."

Quill snorted. "Fair. But I do think he might be able to give us a lead. The Ravagers work out of a warehouse around there. If something weird went down, you can bet one of them saw something."

"I suppose it's worth a try," Stephen said. He didn't sound to enthusiastic. Not that Quill could blame him.

"Great. I'll take us there then," Quill said, taking a few steps ahead of Stephen. Stephen sighed and followed close behind. It didn't take them long to reach the warehouse. Several Ravagers were hanging out around the front entrance watching Kraglin face off against Taserface at arm wrestling. Yondu sat to the side, calmly enjoying a bottle of alcohol in the shade as the others made a ruckus. Once Yondu noticed Quill, he set his bottle down and got up. A hush came over the rest of the Ravagers as he made his way towards Stephen and Quill.

"Who's this?" Yondu asked, eyeing Stephen up and down.

"My current employer," Quill replied.

"Employer. Hah. Steve may have fallen for that bullshit, but I know better. You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose as Quill blushed slightly in embarrassment. They heard a few snickers coming from the Ravagers as Yondu continued, "you're going to catch something one of these days if you aren't careful, boy. You've been lucky so far, but--"

"Could you please not lecture me out here in front of everyone?" Quill asked with a groan, "this is exactly the kind of thing that made me leave in the first place."

"I wouldn't need to lecture you at all if you had a bit of common sense in that head of yours, but fine. We can take this inside. Pretty boy stays out here though."

That wasn't going to work. Not while Quill had the ring on. Quill grabbed Stephen by the wrist and said, "pretty boy goes."

"Stays."

"Goes."

"Stays."

"Goes and I give you the piece of chocolate I was saving for later." Quill hated to do that, but at this point he needed to offer up something-- regardless of how petty-- so Yondu could save face in front of his men.

"One piece of chocolate?"

"Okay, okay. The two pieces of chocolate I was saving for later. That's really all I have left though. I kind of went to town on the rest of them." Quill pulled the box out of his coat and handed it over to Yondu so that he could confirm his story.

"These are the good kind too," Yondu said after taking a look, "fine. We have a deal. Pretty boy can come." Yondu closed the lid and tucked it under his arm. He then gestured for them to follow him and went inside.

"You actually brought the chocolate along with you?" Stephen asked in a low whisper as they started up the stairs. His tone was a bit more judgmental than Quill would have liked.

"I wasn't going to leave them lying around for Rocket to grab," Quill replied defensively.

"By the way," Yondu started once they reached the top platform where Yondu had all his things, "whatever happened to that book I loaned you?"

Quill immediately understood that he was asking about the genealogy record. Anything he told Yondu now would be interpreted as an update on their current situation. "I looked everywhere, alright? I'm sorry, but I couldn't find it," Quill played along, "can't you just forget about it already?"

"It'd be easier to forget about if it wasn't worth a small fortune," Yondu growled.

"You were planning to sell it then?" Stephen asked, interrupting their conversation.

"I had a buyer all lined up," Yondu replied.

"And how much was your buyer going to pay?"

Yondu hesitated, clearly calculating how much he should ask for. "50,000 units," Yondu said finally, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He'd definitely gone high. Especially when Quill factored in that he was never going to get the full amount of the reward money for the original job.

"50,000 units? Seriously?" Quill frowned, "there's no way--"

"I'll send you the amount before the end of the day on the condition that you release Quill of any obligation to return it," Stephen said.

"Done!" Yondu said immediately. He then threw an arm around Quill's shoulder and pulled him aside. "Okay, new plan," he whispered, "forget the book. You wrap this guy around your finger until he's begging to marry you. Then, you live out your rich, fancy lifestyle, occasionally doing your good old dad a solid for putting up with you all these years. Got it?"

That was a quick turn around. It was annoying to know that Yondu would probably be perfectly fine with him being married off to an alpha as long as they were rich and willing to share the wealth. Quill supposed he should've known that was where Yondu would land on the subject. It still sat wrong with him though. Honestly, he was a little irked at Stephen too. The reasons for that one were harder to articulate why.

Yondu released Quill and adopted a much friendlier tone as he raised his voice back to normal levels. "So," he said, "I suppose we should actually make some introductions-- since it sounds like this new job of Quill's is actually going to work out. I'm Yondu Udonta, leader of the Ravagers. You need something done, we'll do it for a price." He held out his hand for Stephen to shake.

Stephen shook it and said, "Stephen Strange." After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "this is unrelated to what we came to talk about, but... if your last name is Udonta, does that mean that Peter's last name comes from his biological parents?"

Yondu grinned. "You know, this dumb ass here never thought to ask me that question?"

"I did too," Quill grumbled, "I asked you about my parents a bunch of times when I was a kid."

"And I answered you honestly. I don't know anything about them," Yondu said, "I do know something about your name though." Yondu went over to a drawer attached to a desk and slid it open. After a bit of digging, he pulled out a letter. He then tossed it onto the table. "This was with you when I found you at my door."

Stephen took the letter and unfolded it, making sure to hold it so that Quill could read it too. Once he'd read the message over, Quill frowned. He then read it out loud to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "I know it's asking a lot, but you're the only one I could think of that he wouldn't suspect. I have no where else to turn and this child can not go to the orphanage. Please, raise him as your own and, if I haven't used up all of your good will already, please do me one more favor. Call him Peter Jason Quill."

"And that really is all the information I have on that," Yondu said.

"You kept this from me," Quill snapped angrily.

"Of course, I did," Yondu snapped back, "you know how you are! One spec of information and you would have gone sticking your nose where it didn't belong! Whoever wrote that letter wanted you safe and, for some inexplicable reason, safe was with me." Yondu took a deep breath and calmed down a bit before adding, "I don't think it matters as much now though. You're an adult. Whoever the writer was worried about probably thinks you're long gone. It's should be safe to finally give you that letter."

Stephen handed off the letter to Quill. He took another long look at it, turning it over to make sure there weren't any details he'd missed. Nothing. It was just an old, folded piece of paper with some writing scrawled on it. The writing looked a little feminine, but maybe that was just because he was working under the assumption it was written by his mother. He couldn't actually know that for sure though. Maybe that spell Stephen had tried to teach him could tell him more. A strong emotion was bound to be attached to something like this, right? Quill tucked it away in his coat and said, "we're looking for information about a murder that happened around here recently."

"You're talking about that cop, right?" Yondu asked.

"Yeah. We were wondering if you saw anything."

"Kraglin saw him. It was dark so he didn't see that the guy was injured. He just thought he was drunk like usual sailors we get around here. In the process of stumbling around, he dropped something though." Yondu went over to the same desk as before, this time pulling open the next drawer lower. He pulled out a silver medallion with an engraving on it. On closer inspection, it depicted the head and torso of a wolf. On the wolf's chest were two scars in the shape of an x. Stephen's eyes widened ever so slightly, telling Quill that he knew something about it.

"Can we take this?" Quill asked.

"Yeah. You'd be doing me a favor by taking it off my hands at this point," Yondu said, "the police have been snooping around. If they find out we have this, they might get the wrong idea about who killed the guy."

Stephen and Quill spoke with Yondu a bit longer and then questioned Kraglin on their way out. Unfortunately, he didn't have anything useful to add. They still had more information than they'd started with though. 

Quill waited until they were a safe distance away from the warehouse before deciding it was time to talk to Stephen. Problem was, there were at least three different things he wanted to discuss. Once he figured out his priorities, he turned to Stephen and took out the letter. "That thing you did in the street earlier," he started, a little annoyed at how desperate he sounded, "you can do it with this letter, right? You can maybe see who wrote it?"

"I can try," Stephen said gently. He took a deep breath and then went through the motions to cast the spell. He waited a moment and then turned his attention back to Quill, shaking his head. "There's nothing to see."

"That can't be right. If you were going to write something like this, you'd have to feel something, right?"

"I agree," Stephen said, "I think that the problem is that whoever wrote it covered their tracks."

"They knew how to use magic then?"

"Probably. Considering how dire their situation seems to have been, I doubt they would have asked someone else to do it for them," Stephen said.

"So I still know basically nothing."

"You know they cared about you. Enough to want to be able to find you again."

"What do you mean?"

"Your name. I imagine the reason they were so specific was so they'd be able to look for you once it was safe to do so."

Quill hadn't made that connection. He went quiet as he took in the weight of what that actually meant. He hadn't been abandoned just because. Someone really had cared about him. Someone who might even find him one day. He wouldn't have noticed it it weren't for Stephen.

"While we're on the subject... you go by Quill because that's what Yondu calls you, don't you?"

"Yeah. I got so used to it that it became more familiar than my first name. How'd you know that though?"

Stephen closed his eyes and smiled. "He's really not as bad as you made him out to be, you know?"

"I'm sure T'Challa or whoever will be overjoyed to have him as an in-law then," Quill frowned, "but seriously, explain."

"Of your three names, which one is the most unique?"

"Quill. Obviously."

"So, if someone overheard that name, they'd have a good idea that it was you they were talking about, correct?"

Quill started to follow. "Making it easier for someone to find me. Yondu made sure I went by Quill so that whoever wrote this letter would have an easier time finding me."

"That's my guess."

Quill's chest was overtaken by a warm affection for both Yondu and Stephen. It honestly made him feel a little embarrassed. He crossed his arms and tried to ignore it as he said, "yeah, well, I guess Yondu gets a pass for now then. But I'm still irritated with you."

Stephen looked genuinely confused. "Why?" he asked.

"Why did you agree to give Yondu so much money?"

"Ah. That."

"Yes, that. I didn't ask you to do that."

"I know. I did it because I felt like it."

"Yeah, well, it felt like you were buying me."

Stephen hesitated and then admitted, "I suppose it'd be disingenuous if I said that didn't cross my mind."

"You can't do that," Quill said, "I mean, I know I kind of implied that you could when I kept encouraging you to buy me things, but... It's different. This wasn't something small."

"It wasn't just about you, if that makes you feel any better. I wanted to get on Yondu's good side. I thought that he'd be more likely to tell us something if he was in a good mood."

"I was going to get that information out of him anyway. You couldn't have just trusted me?"

Stephen went quiet for a moment. For what it was worth, he did seem to regret it a little. Quill was about to settle for that when Stephen finally spoke up and said, "I'm sorry."

That was all Quill needed to hear. He was glad Stephen had taken his feelings seriously instead of brushing them off. "All of that aside," Quill started, deciding to move on, "the medallion we got. What do you know about it?"

"It's... Well, it's a clan symbol," Stephen said, "Panther Clan has a panther on theirs, but the other four all have wolves exactly like this one on theirs. The only difference is the design near the wolf's chest. Iron Clan has a sword, Star Clan has a star, Storm Clan has a lightning bolt, and Magic Clan has a potion bottle."

"None of which fit this design," Quill commented, "what does the panther have with it?"

"A plant they call the heart-shaped herb. And yes. That's exactly right."

"So... there's another clan you guys don't know about? Or maybe the x denotes that they're anti the other clans?"

"Honestly? It could be both. Either way, I'll have to bring it up with the other clan leaders."

"Is this enough evidence to clear Rocket?"

"I think we can at least make a good case for him. I still want to check out Jarvis' place though. If he was investigating this... new clan when he died, he might have left some more information behind."

\------------------------

Jarvis' place turned out to be an apartment on the second floor of a run down building. The nice thing about that was that it should be easy to go about their business without being seen. The not so nice thing about it was that it seemed like a more temporary residence. That meant that there might not be a lot to look at. Stephen lifted his hand to cast a spell as Quill pulled out a set of lockpicks and crouched down so that he was level with the door's lock. Right. Quill still had those. Stephen had considered taking them away, but seeing as there wasn't much lockpicks could do against his magic, he'd let it slide. He'd taken away the man's freedom, after all. It would have felt petty to take away his lockpicks too. 

Stephen put his hand down and decided to let Quill take this one. After their argument earlier, he figured he could try putting a little more faith in him.

Quill got the door open in seconds. Honestly, Stephen wasn't sure he could have done it faster with his magic. "That... was disturbingly quick," Stephen commented.

"I'm pretty awesome, right?" Quill asked with a grin as he held the door open for Stephen.

"I'm not sure you should be proud of that, but yes. I'll admit it."

Quill entered the room after Stephen and then shut the door. The inside was pretty plain. There was just a bed, a dresser, a stove, a table with two chairs, and a small room attached to it that Stephen assumed was the bathroom. "Well, I guess it's time for you to try that spell of yours," Quill said, "I'll start looking for places he might have hid something."

That was as good a plan as any. The room practically lit up the second Stephen finished casting the spell. Humanoid figures made up of yellow light were scattered about the room. That color usually denoted stress. Whatever information he'd found had caused Jarvis a significant amount of worry. The placement of the figures didn't clue Stephen into any possible hiding spots though. He caught a hint of blue near the window sill. Relief? Something he saw out the window calmed him down? Stephen stepped over to the window and opened the curtain. The only thing he saw the wall of the building next door and a plant Jarvis seemed to be taking care of on the sill. Not a lot to feel relieved about. Stephen sighed and looked down at the street. Whatever he'd seen was probably long gone.

"Well, I've looked just about everywhere I can think of," Quill said with a sigh, "he had a secret compartment in the dresser, but it was empty. I think the police got to that one. You find anything?"

"Mostly stress. The whole room is covered in it with the exception of this spot over here."

"Hold up, you didn't tell me you could see emotions."

"I guess I didn't explain that part, did I? I said the memories were tied to emotions. Well, those emotions color the memory. The ones I'm currently seeing are yellow, so stress," Stephen said, "the blue by the sill over there is usually associated with relief."

"By the sill?" Quill walked over and took a look. "I don't see anything I'd call calming. At least, not enough to leave a mark. Then again, maybe he just really loved his plant."

"Maybe," Stephen said noncommittally. "If we were going to find anything, I think we would have found it by now. It's time to head home."

"Alright. Just give me a minute. I'm going to take this plant with us."

"You can't just take things because you want to."

"Oh, I very much can. I've made a career out of it, remember? Besides, you know the police are just going to let it die," Quill said defiantly as he lifted the pot, "this plant clearly meant something to the guy. It deserves to be taken care of."

Stephen's eyes immediately darted to the spot where the plant had been seconds ago. There'd been a note underneath it all along. "Quill," Stephen smiled.

"What?"

"Good job." 

Quill blushed slightly in response to the praise. It was cute, but Stephen didn't have time to linger on it. He went over to the sill and picked up the note. "Hm? That was under the plant?" Quill asked, looking over Stephen's shoulder. Stephen was content to read it in silently in his head, but it seemed Quill had a habit of reading things out loud. "They can manipulate your memories. Whatever happens, remember one thing: protect Wanda Maximoff."

Stephen froze. Jarvis had been trying to protect Wanda? Is that how he ended up dying? As Stephen stood there, Quill turned the note over. The other side was a photograph of Wanda. Probably to help Jarvis keep his memories straight.

"Is this... Pietro's sister?" Quill asked.

"It is," Stephen said, refocusing. He needed to contact some people. Now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I used units as the currency. So sue me. I didn't want to think too hard about what was a reasonable (or unreasonable, in this case) amount. Units are what they use in the Guardians of the Galaxy anyway so I figured it wouldn't be too weird. :P


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as they stepped through the portal and arrived back at the house, Stephen went over to the mirror and started casting a spell. It looked like the same one Stephen had used to contact Clint, but the location that showed up in the mirror was different. The place shown was even fancier than Stephen's house.

"You're contacting Stark?" Rocket asked as he came into the room. Quill did a double take when he turned to look at him. Rocket in human form was, well, ruggedly handsome. Shaggy brown hair and a bit of stubble... he was 100% the type of guy Quill used to go for. Used to? Quill looked Stephen's way. He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. No way. It couldn't be that. It was probably just time to take more of that potion Stephen had given him to curb his omega instincts. Rocket looked at Quill with a puzzled look as he added, "and what's with the plant?"

"It needed a new home," Quill said with a shrug.

"I will explain later, but for now could you two please be quiet?" Stephen asked. He was definitely stressed. Not that Quill could blame him. He didn't fully understand the situation, but he understood enough to know it was bad. For now, he figured it'd be best to get out of Stephen's way. That in mind, he decided to go find a good spot for Jarvis' plant. Ah, but there was one little problem with that.

"Um, Stephen," Quill said cautiously. He pointed to the ring when Stephen looked at him. Stephen nodded and took his off, allowing Quill to remove his. Quill handed his ring back to Stephen and then made his way upstairs.

Honestly, Quill would have liked to put the plant out on the balcony. The barrier prevented him from doing that though. Quill blinked, a sudden thought occurring to him. Stephen had done something to it to allow him to go outside. With how distracted he was when they got back, maybe he hadn't gotten around to fixing it. Quill bit his lip and set the plant down on the dresser next to the door leading outside. He then opened the door and tested the theory. This time, his hand easily made it past the doorway.

Quill took a deep breath.

He could leave. He could actually leave. Stephen probably wouldn't notice his absence until he was long gone too. It was as simple as going out onto the balcony and climbing down to the yard below. It was the same way he'd entered Stephen's house in the first place-- albeit reversed. Quill could do it without a second thought. So, why was he still standing there like an idiot?

Because of Stephen? Stephen didn't care about him. Not really. No matter how nice Stephen was, Quill was still well aware that he was his prisoner. A stroll outside to look for clues about a murder and some fancy gifts didn't change that. Yeah, Quill got that Stephen's hands were tied, but that was his problem. Quill shouldn't have to get married to some random alpha to make Stephen's life easier. Which was another thing. Even if Quill accepted the fact that he kind of liked Stephen, his fancy house, and having the opportunity to learn some magic, it wasn't going to last. It was all going to go away. And soon.

"Just go," Quill mumbled to himself, "and don't look back."

Quill clenched his hands into fists and walked out onto the balcony. There was no reason to hesitate. Quill made it to the railing before stopping himself.

What about the book? He hadn't gotten his hands on it yet. That could be a reason to stay. Quill let out a wry laugh. Who was he trying to kid? He'd been half hearted about finding it for awhile now. Honestly, he suspected that the person who requested the job probably had something to do with what happened to Jarvis. That's not the kind of person Quill wanted to give a list of people who were just going about their lives as best they could.

He needed something else. Anything else. It couldn't just be about Stephen.

It couldn't.

Quill groaned and headed back inside. This made no sense. It had to be some weird mixture of Stockholm syndrome and his omega instincts, right? He just... couldn't leave. Not now. Not this way. Quill closed the door behind him and dropped to his knees. He was going to regret this decision. He knew that. But... for now, he got to stay with Stephen.

He took a minute to collect himself and then got up, turning his attention back to Jarvis' plant. "Sorry I almost abandoned you there," Quill said, rearranging a couple of leaves. "This isn't actually a terrible spot though, is it? I'll go get you some water and everything will be fine."

Fine. Yeah right. What a joke.

Quill's head was in a fog as he left the room. He needed to calm down. Some of Stephen's tea might do the trick. Stephen would probably be busy for awhile though. Well, no reason he couldn't try making some himself. Once he watered Jarvis' plant, he could go rummaging through the kitchen. And try not to think about how he just ignored the one chance he was probably going to get to escape.

\------------------------

Stephen rubbed his forehead as he waited for Tony. He'd managed to get a hold of Happy, so it should only be a little while longer, but every second felt like an eternity right now. What a mess. He already knew he was going to have to contact all the other clans. That meant he should probably bring up Quill too. He really didn't want to though. The situation was already complicated enough without him trying to explain the existence of another omega. At least, that's the excuse he was giving himself. In truth, he just didn't want to give Quill up yet. Stephen sighed and then stared blankly into the mirror until Tony came into view.

"This better be important," Tony said in an annoyed tone.

"You have no idea," Stephen glowered. 

Tony dropped the attitude immediately. The expression on Stephen's face must have been enough to convince him that the situation was serious. "What's going on?"

Where to even start? With Rocket? Stephen supposed that was as good a place as any. "A cop named Jarvis was murdered recently. The hunters got it in their heads that Rocket had something to do with it. He came to me for help so I ended up conducting a bit of an investigation on his behalf. In the process, I found a few things that you and the other clan leaders need to know about before our next meeting."

"I'm listening."

Stephen decided to show Tony the photograph first. As big as the medallion's implications were, Wanda was Stephen's priority. She'd be Tony's too. He pressed the photograph against the mirror and said, "this was in Jarvis' apartment."

Tony's expression darkened. "Why would he have a picture of Wanda?"

"The only direct clue Jarvis left in regards to that is what's written on the back of the photograph." Stephen proceeded to read the message. "They can manipulate your memories. Whatever happens, remember one thing: protect Wanda Maximoff." Stephen then showed Tony the other side of the photograph so he could see the message for himself. "Jarvis believed that Wanda was in some kind of trouble. You have to increase whatever security measures you have in place."

"I will," Tony said seriously, "it would help if I knew what kind of danger to expect though."

"That brings me to the next item," Stephen said. This time, he held up the medallion. "It's a clan symbol, but it isn't one of ours."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a minute to process. "This... means there's a sixth clan out there? One we don't know about? Or is it some kind of organization that wants to take us down?"

"I can only guess at this point, but I think the first explanation is more likely. They borrow too much from our symbol. To me, that suggests that they're trying to claim their place as an actual clan."

"A werewolf clan would need werewolves though and we keep track of everyone with werewolf blood."

"Except the exiles," Stephen corrected, "the information we have on them ends the second we cast them out."

"Okay. Let's humor the idea and say you're right. How have we not noticed them before? We have measures in place to prevent them from reentering the city and, considering how widespread our clans are, there shouldn't be that many places for them to hide."

"There are ways to get around just about anything and I doubt it's a clan in the way we think of it. Honestly, for all we know, it could just be a handful of werewolves working in the shadows. We do have blind spots, Tony. More than we realize. I think we'd both be surprised at how much we can actually miss." Quill had made that much abundantly clear. His mere existence was proof that someone with werewolf blood could live in the city without being noticed by one of the clans. And he hadn't even been trying to hide. "And, as long as there is at least one actual werewolf in this organization, there are obvious reasons they'd be interested in our omegas."

"You think that's why Wanda is in danger?"

"It's the best theory I have. They must have found out about her somehow. The good news is that it seems like she's the only omega they do know about at the moment."

"Then we need to make sure it stays that way." Tony frowned and scratched the back of his head, "which means it's probably a bad idea to keep Peter in the same house. If they're already keeping an eye on Wanda, they might end up noticing him as well."

"I don't disagree. Could you actually bring yourself to relocate Peter though?"

Tony let out a long sigh. "Wanda chewed me out, you know? Once she found out that Peter propositioned you. She said I wasn't looking at things rationally and that Peter would be lucky to be with an alpha like you. I know I don't always act like it, but... I do respect you. And I don't think that you'd do anything to Peter without his consent."

"What is your point, Tony?" Stephen had the sinking feeling that he already knew.

"Would you take him in for a bit?"

"That's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

He already had an omega in his house. Taking in more than one was more trouble than he wanted. Stephen couldn't say that though. Not without telling Tony about Quill. "Rocket is staying here at the moment. That'd be two alphas living in the same house as one unclaimed omega." Two unclaimed omegas.

"Send Rocket to my place then. He can make himself useful helping me and Wanda can take care of herself if he actually tries anything. You made sure of that."

"I suppose," Stephen replied noncommittally. He would kind of like to get Rocket out of his hair. It'd keep Quill from staring at him with that stupid expression he'd had on earlier. Talk about obvious. How annoying. 

"So, what do you think? Will you take him? If things go smoothly and Peter really does decide he's comfortable with you... I'll give you my vote."

That would give Stephen enough to claim Peter as his omega. That news would have excited most alphas, but Stephen mostly found it stressful. Peter was a good kid, but... he'd rather have Quill. That was the truth of it, wasn't it? Stephen wouldn't be able to get the votes for Quill though. Carol might still side with him, but he'd lose Tony's vote. Stephen bit his lip and refocused on the task at hand. None of that mattered just now. "I'll... look after him for a bit," Stephen said, "we can discuss omega arrangements later. Once things have calmed down."

"Fair enough."

"I'll create a portal to your place once I've contacted the others and filled them in on the situation. It will take awhile, but you might want to have Peter and Bucky start getting their things together."

"I'll do that. Keep me updated if you learn anything else."

Stephen nodded and ended the message. Taking Peter in should be okay, right? Him and Bucky shouldn't be able to tell that Quill was an omega. They might be able to guess based on Stephen's behavior though. Stephen sighed, frustrated with himself. He should have just told the truth. It's not like they would have taken Quill away from him right away. Actually... that wasn't true, was it? If Tony wanted Peter to stay with Stephen, he might have pushed for an immediate vote to keep their omegas spread out.

Why was he worrying about this right now? Stephen needed to stop getting distracted. There were still three more clans to update. He took a deep breath and started by contacting Thor. He spent the next hour or so talking to the other clan leaders. It was a pain having to repeat the message over and over, but there was no real way around it. When he finally finished up with that, he contacted the hunters to try and clear up the mess with Rocket. That was another lengthy and stressful conversation, but at least it ended with them agreeing that Rocket wasn't the murderer they were looking for. Well, that was one less thing for Stephen to worry about.

As soon as he ended the call, Stephen went over to the couch and collapsed onto it. He needed a minute to collect himself before he kicked out Rocket and went to get Peter. It was only when his gaze happened to drift towards the front door that he remembered he hadn't readjusted his barrier spell to keep Quill inside. If Quill had noticed... Stephen got up from his seat in a bit of a panic and started looking for Quill. Luckily, it only took him a minute to stumble upon Quill sitting with Rocket at the dining table and drinking some tea. Stephen let out a relieved sigh and then took a minute to fix the spell. He should probably remove the restrictions for Rocket while he was at it.

"Ah, Stephen. You finally done?" Rocket asked.

"I am," Stephen said, "and you'll be happy to know that the hunters are no longer after you. Which means I'm also kicking you out of my house."

"You know, you can be a real asshole sometimes."

"I know. Stark did seem interested in having you stay at his place for awhile though. We're facing a bit of an incident and he thought you could help." Stephen braced himself and explained everything for what he hoped was the last time that day. Both Quill and Rocket listened intently. "What do you think? Would you be willing to help him out?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not," Rocket said, "looking out for Wanda for awhile is the least I could do to repay you. Stark's place is cozier than your shit house anyway."

"Remind me never to show you the place I called home," Quill said.

"Sweetheart, you show me your place and I wouldn't complain. As long as there's a place for us to--"

"Don't finish that sentence," Stephen warned.

"Right. Forgot he was your omega for a second there. Oh, wait. He isn't. And I was kidding, by the way. Mostly."

Stephen's glare darkened.

"Guys," Quill interjected sharply, "can we please just part on good terms?"

"Yeah, fine," Rocket said, getting up from his seat, "I guess I'll head over to Stark's place before Stephen decides to murder me."

"Hold on," Stephen said, "I have to go over there for a minute myself anyway so you can just come with me."

"Why do you have to go over there?" Quill asked curiously.

Right. He hadn't covered that in his explanation. "I... need to pick up a couple of people. They'll be staying with us for awhile."

"Oh yeah? Who did you get stuck with?" Rocket asked.

Stephen sighed. "Peter and his body guard, Bucky."

"Peter is one of the other omegas, right?" Quill frowned.

"Yes."

"Heh. Good luck with that. You are going to get in so much trouble when you finally tell the others about Quill," Rocket said.

"I know," Stephen groaned. 

\------------------------ 

Another omega. A proper one. One with... class or whatever Quill didn't have. And he was coming to stay with Stephen? Something about that was truly irritating. Quill poured himself another cup of tea as he quietly seethed. He really hoped this Peter kid was ugly.

Quill's hopes were immediately dashed when Stephen came back with his new guests in tow. Peter wasn't ugly at all. In fact, he was downright adorable. There was a pure, unbridled enthusiasm to him too that made Quill feel kind of old. "Who's this?" Peter asked, noticing Quill.

"My new assistant," Stephen said, "his name is Peter Quill. He just goes by Quill though."

"That's lucky. It would have been confusing having two Peter's in the same house." Confusing indeed. As far as Quill was concerned, a better solution would be to send this kid away. Far away. "Anyway," Peter said with a heart melting smile, "it's nice to meet you, Quill."

"Yeah," was all Quill could manage.

"This is Bucky, by the way. He's my body guard."

Bucky nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't add anything. He was the strong and silent type then? Well, whether that was true or not, Quill's problem wasn't with him.

"So," Peter said, turning to Stephen, "where am I staying? Is my room close to yours?"

"It depends," Stephen said. He looked towards Quill and asked, "were you attached to a particular room? I know you've been using the one, but--"

"Yeah, I'm attached to one," Quill said, "yours."

It was satisfying to watch Peter react to that statement exactly the way Quill predicted he would. The kid's smile immediately vanished as he looked to Stephen for answers. "W-wait. Are you and him..." Peter struggled.

"No," Stephen said, blushing brightly, "he just... has a strange sense of humor. Ignore him. You can pick any room you'd like."

"Even your room?" Peter asked shyly. Oh, that's how it was going to be, huh? This kid was trying to make a power play.

"That's fine," Stephen said, "I can use a different one."

"Okay," Peter smiled, "then I will take yours." The little shit!

"Alright. Let's get you moved in then," Stephen said, helping Peter with his luggage. The three of them proceeded upstairs, leaving Quill behind.

Quill grumbled to himself as he took the dishes he'd dirtied making tea to the kitchen. He worked out some of his agitation by giving them a good scrub. Once he calmed down a little, he let out a sigh. It gave him a chance to pin point the real problem he had with Peter. How was he supposed to compete with that? No way Stephen would be interested in street trash like him when someone as cute and clean cut as Peter was available. He was going to get ignored. Was leaving still an option? A quick investigation revealed that Stephen had fixed the barirer. Well, he probably wouldn't have really left anyway.

Quill went upstairs. He was tempted to listen at Stephen's door for a bit, but he ultimately decided against that. It'd probably just worsen his mood. Once he got back to the room he'd been using as his-- the one with the plant and the balcony-- he tried experimenting some more with the barrier. He found he could toss objects through the barrier, but he couldn't get them back. Unless... Quill looked for something long and pole like. He had to do a bit of searching before he found an umbrella downstairs near the front door that he thought might do the trick. As he headed back up the stairs, he ran into Stephen.

"Expecting rain?" Stephen asked sarcastically. Quill couldn't decide if Stephen was amused or annoyed. Either way, Quill did have his attention.

"Of course not. That'd be silly," Quill said with a smug smile.

Stephen stared at him for a moment and then sighed. "Just put it back when you're done."

"Sure. If I'm able to," Quill agreed. That got a raised eyebrow out of Stephen. Quill was pleased with that. Still, he decided to stop teasing Stephen for a minute to bring up a few questions he'd been wondering about. Quill's expression sobered as he asked, "hey, Stephen... are you still going to be able to teach me stuff? Or do you have to focus on Peter?"

"I'm sorry," Stephen said with a frown, "I might not have the time to after all."

"That's what I thought," Quill said, "is he... going to be your omega?"

Stephen closed his eyes and sighed. "Probably. He asked me to be his alpha and I don't really have a reason to say no."

"What if I asked you to be my alpha?" Quill asked, not sure what had come over him. He didn't want to be owned by anyone, but... he didn't want Stephen to be with Peter either. "Would that change anything?"

Stephen frowned. "You don't mean that."

Quill bit his lip. Stephen hadn't taken him seriously at all. "Yeah," Quill laughed, "you're probably right." That said, he moved past Stephen and went to his room, slamming the door behind him a little too hard. He was an idiot. Whatever bond he thought he might have had with Stephen... it was completely one sided. He needed to get out of here. He doubted an umbrella was actually going to help him do that though. Quill tossed it on the dresser next to the plant and dove onto the bed, burying his head into one of the pillows. He just needed to be upset for awhile. He could try coming up with a new plan after that.

A knock came at the door.

"What?" Quill asked with a growl.

"Can I come in?" It was Stephen's voice.

Quill sat up and rubbed at his face. He hoped he didn't look as if he'd been about to cry. "I guess," he responded in what he hoped was a casual tone.

Stephen opened the door and walked in. He didn't come any closer, but he did shut the door behind him. "You were serious, weren't you?"

"I don't know," Quill replied bitterly.

"I'm sorry I dismissed what you said. I just... couldn't afford for it to be real."

"What do you mean?"

"To claim you as my omega, I'd need three votes. I'll be able to get the votes I need for Peter, but no matter how I play out the scenario out in my head, I can't get the votes for you."

"You actually thought about it?"

"I did," Stephen admitted, "if I could have any omega, you would be my first choice."

"Even though I'm low class and have a bad attitude?"

Stephen smiled. "I must be out of my mind, right?"

Quill managed to return the smile. "Completely."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. This chapter took me awhile to put together for some reason.
> 
> Also, I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone for reading/commenting/giving me kudos/etc. I'm honestly surprised that this story has gotten so much interest. (You know, considering that Quill x Stephen is a pair that nobody would normally think of) It's very encouraging and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Pietro stifled a yawn as he walked over to Stephen's place. He probably shouldn't have stayed out as late as he had yesterday, but hey, he was allowed to spend his day off however he wanted. He just hoped Stephen and Quill hadn't gotten up to anything too crazy in his absence. The next full moon was still pretty far away. Leaving them alone for one day should have been okay, right?  
As soon as he walked through the door, Pietro was ambushed by a hug from Peter.

"Good morning, Pietro!" Peter said cheerfully.

"Ah, hey," Pietro managed. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought that he'd walked into the wrong house. It was definitely weird running into Peter here. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"Great!" Peter said, releasing Pietro and looking up at him with an excited expression on his face. "I might be getting Stephen as my alpha."

"Seriously? Tony caved?"

"Kind of. He said that if things went well during my stay here, he'd give Stephen his vote."

"Hold on." Pietro had so many questions. "This isn't just a visit? Tony is actually letting you live here?"

"Just until they sort out the sixth clan stuff."

"Sixth clan stuff?"

"Oh, yeah. It's pretty crazy." Peter launched into an explanation of what he'd heard second hand from Tony. Pietro couldn't be sure how accurate the information was, but the bit about Wanda certainly stood out. He quickly excused himself and went to go find Stephen.

"Stephen Strange!" Pietro shouted angrily, interrupting a serious conversation Stephen was having with Bucky in the hallway. "Did you maybe forget to tell me something? Or did you think I wouldn't want to know that some dead cop thought that my sister was in danger?"

Stephen slapped his face with his hand. "I knew I was forgetting something," he groaned, "I'm sorry, Pietro. I had a lot on my mind yesterday."

"Apparently," Pietro growled. He still wasn't happy about the situation, but at least Stephen had apologized.

"I talked to her this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far and we currently have members from every clan looking for more information. Still, if you feel like you need to go see her, I'd be happy to close the shop for today."

Pietro took a second to think it over. Wanda would probably accuse him of being overbearing if he went over right after Stephen had checked in with her. "Nah. It's fine. I'll go see her once we close. Tell me next time though, damn it!"

"I will. I promise."

"You'd better," Pietro muttered, "anyway, where's Quill?"

Stephen let out another frustrated groan. "He picked a fight with Peter during breakfast. It didn't go his way so he went and locked himself up in his room. I really don't have time to deal with him right now."

"Should I go see if I can do something about it?"

"You can if you want to. I doubt it's the best use of your time though."

Cold. Still, if Quill was throwing a tantrum, ignoring him was probably the best way to handle it. 

"I think I'll go check on him anyway," Pietro said with a shrug. He wasn't a part of whatever went down this morning so it was probably fine. Once Pietro excused himself, he headed upstairs and knocked on the door to Peter's room. "Hey, Quill. It's Pietro. Can I come in?"

"Did Stephen send you?" Quill asked through the door.

"Nope. He's ignoring you."

It took a minute, but Quill did eventually open the door for Pietro. "Then what do you want?"

"Nothing really. I just figured I'd say hello," Pietro replied. He couldn't help but notice there was a familiar looking hand mirror laid out on the bed. He frowned and asked, "Quill, is that from the shop?"

"I'm just borrowing it! I promise!" Quill said quickly.

"For what?"

"I... wanted to try out that spell Stephen does with the mirror. You know, the one where he calls people," Quill admitted as he went through the hand motion. He had it right too. Pietro was impressed.

"You need to have a specific mirror in mind," Pietro said, "I think that's the part that's messing you up." Stephen probably wouldn't approve, but it was kind of an essential spell. Quill should learn it. Besides, Quill would have probably gotten it on his own in a few more attempts. "Try thinking of the one downstairs."

"Got it," Quill said with a nod. He looked down at the mirror, focused, and tried the hand gesture again. Sure enough, it worked. Quill stumbled backward in surprise and hit his back on a corner of the dresser. His expression was an interesting mixture of pain and excitement. Neither emotion was winning out over the other.

Pietro stifled a chuckle and then said, "to end the spell, all you have to do is think about ending it. It's really simple."

Quill followed Pietro's instructions and ended the spell without any trouble. "I can't believe I actually did it," Quill commented. He turned to Pietro, grinned, and then added, "thanks, Pietro."

"Yeah, no problem. Just... don't tell Stephen I helped you. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you didn't use it to try and call someone to help you escape."

"I thought about that, but it wouldn't work," Quill said with a bitter frown, "what is anyone I know going to do against werewolves and magic?"

"Is it really that bad? Being stuck with us, I mean."

"Being stuck is the problem," Quill said, taking a seat on the bed, "if I could come and go as I pleased, I'd probably choose to hang out here all the time. I like you and Stephen. It's just... with the barrier, it's obvious it's a cage. Also, being forced to marry someone is total bullshit. Like, I know it's to save the werewolf race and what not, but come on. I don't want to spend my life popping out babies. Especially with someone I didn't choose." 

Pietro couldn't argue with him there. He was so glad he'd been born a beta. He let out a sigh and then took a seat next to Quill. "Sorry. I wish there was something comforting I could say, but your situation really does suck. Being an omega is tough."

"Seems like someone forgot to tell Peter that."

"Peter is... not as content as you think he is. Probably."

"What do you mean?"

"The omegas that are born into our clans have had years to come to terms with their role in society, but that doesn't mean they're happy about it. They've just learned to grin and bear it," Pietro said, eyes focused on the plant on top of Quill's dresser. It was easier than looking at Quill right now. "Wanda wants kids and she likes the alpha she's paired with, but even she still has days where being an omega is too much for her. I've seen Peter break down before too. The kid has a lot more on his mind than you'd think." Pietro hesitated and then added, "look, I'm not saying his situation is worse than yours, but at least you're around the same age as the clan leaders. All of them are at least a decade older than Peter. It's... definitely not an ideal situation."

"Now I feel like an ass," Quill said, flopping backwards onto the bed.

"You'll cut him some slack then?"

"I don't know. I mean, I get what you're saying, but he's so annoying. The way he follows Stephen around like a puppy gets on my nerves."

"Ah, that's it," Pietro grinned, "you're jealous."

Quill covered his face, but Pietro could still tell that his cheeks were completely red.

"Oh, wow. You're not even going to try denying it?"

Quill answered with a groan. That was a no then. Pietro got excited for a second before the reality of what that actually meant hit him. Stephen couldn't be paired with Quill. Not if he was going to be paired with Peter.

"Look, Quill," Pietro started cautiously, "Stephen is... he's a good guy, but he's..."

"Going to claim Peter as his omega."

"I was actually going to say that he's not great at the whole feelings thing. But yeah. Maybe. Peter seems to think that he will."

"Stephen thinks that he will too. He told me as much last night. Even though he said he'd prefer me."

"He... actually said that?" Pietro asked. That didn't sound like Stephen. He always acted with his head, not his heart. So, even if he did really feel that way, Pietro would have expected Stephen to turn Quill down outright. The fact that he'd actually declared some level of interest in Quill instead was... different. Pietro didn't know what to make of it.

"I don't want to talk about it," Quill said with a sigh. He got up off the bed and scooped up the mirror. "I'm going to go return this."

"Hey, Quill. Before you do that..."

"Yes?"

"Any chance you'd want to help out in the shop today?"

"I don't know."

"Come on. It could be fun. I'll let you keep that mirror as payment."

"You do know how much this thing is worth, right?"

That was an interesting comment. He'd thought Quill grabbed it randomly. It's not like they'd put a price tag on it. Pietro cocked an eyebrow and asked, "do you?"

"About 13,000 units. That's more than I'd earn in a month if I was still working over at the factory."

That was the exact number Stephen had valued it at. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"

"Easy. It's in good condition, the woman who makes these is pretty famous, and it's a bit more detailed than her usual work." Quill then launched into an explanation on how he knew it wasn't a forgery. He honestly sounded like an expert. It seemed being a thief had made Quill more qualified to work in the shop than Pietro could have imagined.

"That's great," Pietro said, interrupting Quill's speech. "Do you want it?"

"I mean, yeah. I'd rather have it than not have it."

"Good. Then let's go." Pietro took the mirror from Quill and set it down on the dresser. He then took Quill by the wrist and started dragging him out of the room.

"I didn't actually agree to anything yet, you know?"

"What else were you going to do with your day? Mope around?"

Quill grumbled to himself, but he didn't argue. He let Pietro lead him into the shop without too much resistance. From there, Pietro grabbed a bunch of random items and started quizzing Quill. He had to know if the mirror was a one time fluke. It took a minute to get Quill to cooperate, but once he did, he did not disappoint. He appraised their worth with surprising accuracy. His other guesses weren't as on the dot as the mirror, but none of his guesses were more than 1,000 units off of Stephen's estimations.

"That's amazing!" Pietro said with an excited grin, "you're actually useful!"

"I don't know if I should be angry or if I should just accept the compliment."

"Just accept the compliment. It's like you were born to be here!"

Quill frowned, making Pietro question his word choice. It took him a second to realize the mistake he'd made. That's right. Quill wasn't going to be here that long. The whole Peter situation must have made that especially clear to Quill.

"Quill," Pietro hesitated.

He didn't have a chance to figure out what he was going to say because at that moment, Peter came into the shop. "Can I hang out here for a bit?" he asked, "Stephen and Bucky are being boring."

"Still talking about security measures?" Pietro asked.

Peter nodded. "I know it's important, but..."

"Yeah, you're bored. We get it," Quill grumbled.

Peter chose to ignore Quill's attitude. "What were you two doing anyway?"

"Just wasting time," Pietro said. If he'd told Peter what they were actually doing, Peter would want in on it. And then he'd get frustrated when he found out that he couldn't compete with Quill. Thus, Pietro figured he'd just side step that issue by brushing the topic off. "We should try to get some actual work done though. Want to help us dust off a few things?"

"Sure," Peter said.

\------------------------

Quill couldn't believe that Pietro actually had the nerve to leave him alone in the shop with Peter. He'd said he'd only be gone for a few minutes, but those few minutes quickly turned into half an hour. Quill started to wonder if Pietro actually planned to come back at all. At least there weren't any customers to worry about. Though, Quill was pretty sure he could fumble through a sale if he had to.

"So, um, you know Pietro well then?" Peter asked suddenly. He'd been in the middle of sweeping when he suddenly decided to stop and strike up a conversation.

"Why do you want to know?" Quill asked.

"I-I don't know," Peter said, looking down at the floor, "it's just... you two looked like you were having fun together."

"I guess." Finding out that his talent for picking out expensive objects could come in handy here had been a big boost to Quill's ego.

"You're friends then?"

"Eh, something like that."

Peter looked like he wanted to press for details, but he never actually worked up the nerve to do so. It got Quill wondering about Peter's relationship with Pietro. 

"What is Pietro to you?" Quill asked.

"Oh, um," Peter blushed slightly, "he's Wanda's brother so... he's kind of like a big brother. Except different. If I'm upset, him and Wanda are the ones I can talk to." He perked up slightly and added, "if I do get married to Stephen, I'm going to ask Pietro to be my bodyguard."

Quill got the impression that Pietro was actually one of the main reasons why Peter wanted to marry Stephen. "What about Bucky?"

"He obviously has to stay in Iron Clan," Peter said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right. Of course," Quill laughed awkwardly. Apparently that was common knowledge to someone who was actually born into werewolf society. He tried to avoid drawing attention to his slip up by asking the first question that came to mind, "so why Stephen? Other than the fact that you might be able to get Pietro as your bodyguard."

"Well, um... there's a lot of reasons really."

"The main one then."

Peter hesitated a moment before saying, "because he won't pressure me the way the other alphas would. Thor and T'Challa aren't bad options either, but both of them would want to start having children right away and I..."

"You're scared," Quill finished.

"I'm not scared!"

"Of course you are. It's scary! You're allowed to be upset about it."

Peter chewed his bottom lip. The troubled expression on his face made him look especially vulnerable. It really drove home the point that he was a kid in over his head. This was the Peter that Pietro had tried to tell him about. "Being an omega is an honor. It--"

"Sucks," Quill interjected.

"You're not supposed to say that," Peter said nervously. Those nerves quickly turned to anger, however, as he added, "and what do you know anyway? You could never understand how I feel!"

"I know that you don't love Stephen."

"Love is... a luxury. It's not something I can expect. I do like Stephen though and maybe it could turn into love at some point."

Quill took a stab at something he'd gleaned from their earlier conversation. "But the one you're actually interested in is Pietro."

Peter turned a vibrant shade of red as Pietro stopped short in the doorway. Of course now was the time he'd choose to come back. When Peter noticed that Pietro had overheard them, the horror on his face doubled.

"S-sorry," Pietro stammered, "I didn't mean--"

Peter bolted out the front door. Quill hopped the counter to go after him, but was quickly reminded that the barrier was in place when he smacked into it. Shit. He turned to Pietro and shouted, "what are you just standing there for? Go after him!"

"But--"

"No buts. He can't be out there on his own."

"Right," Pietro said. He shook his head and then ran out the door after Peter.

Quill then rushed over to where Stephen and Bucky were. "We have a problem," Quill said quickly.

"Can it wait? We're kind of in the middle of something," Stephen sighed.

"No, it can't! Peter just ran away!"

"What did you do?!"

Stephen's tone made Quill wince. It was too sharp. Yeah, he might have deserved it, but that didn't make it any easier to take.

"That doesn't matter right now," Bucky interjected, "which way did he go?"

"Out the front door. He turned right. Pietro went after him, but I'm sure he could use the help."

Bucky nodded and headed for the front door.

"We will talk about this once I get back," Stephen said sternly.

\------------------------

Quill paced around the house nervously. There wasn't much he could do but wait. He was too worried to focus on trying out spells or testing the barrier. Quill just hoped Stephen wasn't as mad at him once they finally got back. He hadn't meant for things to turn out like that. Stephen probably wouldn't believe him though.

Quill rushed over to the front door the second he heard it open. In walked Stephen, but he was on his own. "Where are the others?" Quill asked.

"They're fine," Stephen said. He didn't sound angry. He sounded resigned. Quill couldn't decide if that was better or worse. "Peter has refused to come back while you're still here though."

"What does that mean for me then?"

"It means that, once I have a cup of tea and have calmed down a bit, I'm going to call Carol and see if she can take you in until we decide what to do with you."

"You can't do that," Quill said desperately. He didn't want to leave.

"I don't have another choice, Quill," Stephen said, "it's happening and you're just going to have to come to terms with that."

"No, I don't," Quill replied angrily.

"I don't have the time or energy to fight with you right now."

"So you're okay with this? It's fine to just make me someone else's problem?"

Stephen sighed and started walking towards the kitchen.

"You're a coward."

"What am I supposed to do, Quill?" Stephen asked, matching Quill's bitter tone, "since you seem to have all the answers, why don't you tell me?"

"Let me go," Quill said firmly.

"You know I can't do that."

"Yes, you can. You can trust Rocket and Pietro not to say anything."

"And you'll just disappear like you never existed in the first place?"

"Yes."

Stephen rubbed his forehead.

"I know it's a risk, but if you care about me at all--"

"It's not an option, Quill. You're too important. We need you."

Quill bit his lip. "I hate you. I don't know why I ever thought that I liked you."

Stephen sighed. In a sad tone, he said, "it's probably better if you feel that way."

That was it then. Quill was done with Stephen right now. He went up to his room and started digging through everything. He had to get out of here. Problem was, he had no idea how to do that. And now he didn't have a lot of time to come up with something. Asking Stephen directly had been his best bet, but Stephen had made it clear that there was no way he'd do that while he was in his right mind.

In his right mind.

That... was a terrible idea. But it was the only one Quill had.

\------------------------

Quill took a deep breath and went downstairs. Stephen was sitting at the dining table, midway through a glass of tea. He looked... gloomy. And Quill was about to make his day a lot worse. He really wished he'd been able to come up with a less awful plan.

"What did you need, Quill?" Stephen asked.

"To apologize. I don't... hate you."

"I know," Stephen said with a weak smile. Quill still got the sense that Stephen was happy to actually hear him say it.

"Is it okay if I have some tea with you? I'd prefer it if my last memory with you wasn't totally terrible."

Stephen nodded and got up from his chair. "I'll go get a cup."

As soon as Stephen left the room, Quill pulled the small bottle out of his pocket and uncorked it. He pushed down a surge of guilt as he poured about a quarter of it into Stephen's cup. Quill hoped that wasn't too much. All he knew was that he needed more than a couple of drops in this case. Once that was done, he capped the bottle and put it away before taking a seat.

Stephen came back a minute later with the promised cup.

"I'm also sorry about Peter," Quill continued, "I didn't mean to make him mad this time. Really."

"That I didn't know. You have been pretty antagonistic towards him."

"You know why."

"I do," Stephen sighed. He took a sip from his cup.

"And I'm sorry about this too."

"What are you--" Stephen stopped short. Apparently, the vampire blood concoction Quill had used was starting to take affect because Stephen glanced down at his cup and started putting the pieces together. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, Quill," he cursed, "you need to... to go to your room and lock the door. Now."

That wasn't part of the plan. Quill took a deep breath and got to his feet. Then, he went over to Stephen and caressed his cheek. Stephen grabbed Quill's wrist and yanked him down into a kiss. That had progressed faster than Quill thought it would. A worry started to form in the back of his mind. That incomplete thought was instantly banished, however, when Stephen leaned further into the kiss. Quill gave in almost instinctively this time.

That was all the encouragement Stephen needed. He got up and then pinned Quill to the top of the dining table, knocking his tea cup to the floor in the process. Quill blushed a bright red as Stephen began pulling at Quill's pants.

"H-hold on! Time out!" Quill said, trying to pry himself out from under Stephen. The situation was getting out of hand. He needed to reassert control or else his whole plan would have been for nothing and he'd be taking advantage of Stephen for no reason. That thought in mind, Quill pushed Stephen back and sat up. Stephen tried to push him back down, but Quill slapped his arm away. "I'm going to give you what you want," Quill said quickly, before Stephen tried again, "but you need to do something for me first."

"What?" Stephen asked. It was clear from his tone that he was annoyed by the interruption.

"I need you to remove the barrier."

Stephen hesitated. Even in this addled state he seemed to know that was something that he shouldn't do. It looked like Quill would have to help the concoction along a little.

Quill got up off the table and moved closer to Stephen, running his finger down Stephen's chest suggestively. He kept going until he reached Stephen's crotch. It was clear from the bulge in his pants that Stephen already had an erection. "If you want me to take care of this," Quill said seriously, "you need to remove the barrier."

"After," Stephen mumbled, going in for another kiss.

Quill used his free hand to block Stephen's lips with a finger. "Now."

Stephen responded by taking that finger into his mouth and sucking on it. When Quill tried to pull back, Stephen put a hand around his waist and pressed in closer than before. This wasn't working. Quill didn't know if it was his omega instincts kicking in, but there was a part of him that wanted to forget his objective and let Stephen have his way with him. Quill did his best to focus as he slipped his hand into Stephen's clothes and started touching Stephen's penis directly. Stephen let out a small moan as Quill began to stroke it.

"Now," Quill said as firmly as he could muster, "or I stop."

"Fine," Stephen growled. He focused for a second and started making some complicated hand gestures. Quill hoped to god Stephen didn't have the common sense to fake the spell right now. He then pushed that thought aside and focused. Maybe he could get away with just a hand job. Once he got Stephen to cum, Quill could slink off while Stephen was still recovering. That was the plan. Quill just had to make sure that Stephen kept following his lead.

"It's done," Stephen said, slipping his hand into his pants and putting it over Quill's. He guided Quill's hand up and down his shaft, increasing their speed over time. Quill found that he didn't actually have to do anything which made him feel... off. Like an object. Something that didn't have a will of it's own.

Quill bit his lip and closed his eyes, telling himself to bear with it for just a little longer. This wasn't Stephen. It was that stupid concoction. If Stephen was actually a part of this, it wouldn't feel so awful. With one last thrust, Stephen leaned against Quill and came in his hand. It was done.

Quill tried to back away from Stephen, but Stephen grabbed onto him. The next thing Quill knew, he was bent over the table with his pants pulled down. It was clear that Stephen was ready to go another round. But how? Was this an alpha thing that Quill hadn't known about? Whatever the case, Quill couldn't go along with it anymore. He struggled against Stephen, but Stephen completely dominated his movements. It was only now that Quill started to realize how hopeless going up against an alpha was. He wasn't even in werewolf form and Quill was still completely at Stephen's mercy.

"Stephen," Quill cried desperately, "please, I don't... I don't want this."

Stephen froze. Something about hearing Quill's plea must have gotten through to him because, after a moment, he backed off. "Run," Stephen said, gritting his teeth as he dug his nails into his arm, "now."

Quill didn't hesitate. He bolted out of the room and ran upstairs to his room. He locked the door behind him as Stephen had originally advised and wiped his hand off on the bed sheets. He then grabbed his coat and the mirror off the dresser as something slammed against the door. It sounded bigger than Stephen. Quill imagined that was because Stephen was now in his werewolf form. That probably meant that any last semblance of reason was gone. He had to go. Now.

Quill flashed his plant a regretful look before charging out onto the balcony. From there, he climbed down as quickly as he could and ran away from the house. He didn't look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. You thought the first bit of smut would be sexy. But instead I just traumatized characters. I promise we'll get to the more wholesome(?) stuff at some point.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaagh! Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm alive, I swear. There are just too many awesome video games to play right now.

Once he was far enough away from Stephen's house, Quill pulled into an alleyway and tried to calm himself down. Panic was a strong emotion. It was definitely something that Stephen would be able to follow when he came to his senses. Quill had to keep his emotions in check. It was the only way he was going to be able to hide. Knowing what he had to do and actually doing it were two different things though.

Had Stephen always been that strong? From what Stephen had told him, the concoction didn't have anything to do with enhancing strength. That meant that Stephen could have done that sort of thing at any time if he'd wanted to. Quill supposed he'd known that some level. He'd just thought that Stephen would have to turn into his werewolf form first. Back there, when Stephen had him pinned down... Quill had never felt so helpless in his entire life-- not even when he'd first met Stephen in his werewolf form and thought that he was going to be eaten. Quill tried to rationalize it all by telling himself that Stephen would never do that sort of thing under normal circumstances, but the fact that he had that potential at all made Quill wary. Alphas were... terrifying.

It didn't matter. He wouldn't have to deal with alphas or any other werewolves after today. He was going to go to his hideout, gather his things, and leave the city first thing in the morning. Then he'd find some place new, sell the mirror, and figure out what he was going to do with his life from then on. He wished he could go say goodbye to Steve, but that wasn't in the cards. Yondu though... Quill could probably leave a message behind in his hideout. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing.

Quill took a deep breath and decided he was as calm as he was going to be. He just hoped it was enough. He started walking through the city's streets until he came to his home away from home. The old clock tower. It had been in disrepair for years now, but that suited Quill just fine. It meant he didn't have to endure the constant ticking of a functional clock or anyone coming by looking to fix it. He checked to make sure that the door was still unlocked-- something he'd taken care of himself with his lock picks ages ago-- and then headed inside. He then started the long climb up the stairs until he reached the top.

He didn't have much there: a bedroll, a lantern, a crate he mostly used as a chair, and a couple of articles of clothing strewn carelessly across the floor. Inside the crate were a few more practical items, including what he'd need to leave Yondu a message. He'd get to that in the morning though. For now, he just wanted to sleep. He dragged his bedroll over towards the glass clock face and then laid down. It was a weird angle for sure, but from his new position, he could still look outside and see the stars. They'd always had a calming effect on him in the past. Tonight, however, they did little to alleviate the troubled thoughts that stirred in his head.

Quill hated that his relationship with Stephen had ended like that. There hadn't been much choice, but what he'd done... that wasn't okay. Stephen probably hated him now. How could he not? Quill covered his face and tried not to think about it. Like he'd told himself earlier, it didn't matter. They were never going to see each other again so what point was there in worrying about his last impression?

\------------------------

Stephen was taking too long. Pietro understood that it probably wasn't easy saying goodbye to Quill, but Stephen had had a little over three hours to do it at this point. He should have been back by now. Pietro paced around nervously as him, Peter, and Bucky waited at the tavern.

"Sweetie," Natasha said, walking over to Pietro and putting a hand gently on his elbow, "I'm going to need you to stop doing that. You're worrying my other customers."

"Right, sorry," Pietro said, "I just..."

"I know. Take a seat at the counter with your friends. I'll grab you something to drink, alright?"

Pietro glanced at the counter where Bucky and Peter were. Sitting with them was a scary proposition in its own right. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Peter about what had happened. The kid liked him, huh? What was he supposed to do with that? Peter was an omega. Nothing good could come of thinking of him as anything more than a little brother. They both knew that. 

"Actually," Pietro started, "I think I need to go check on Stephen at this point. Do you... think you could watch over Peter and Bucky until I get back?"

"I can do that," Natasha said with a nod.

"Thanks. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"You're leaving?" Peter asked, an upset expression crossing his face.

"Just to see what's going on with Stephen."

"Can't you just call him through a mirror?"

"This... might be a little more personal than that." Considering Quill was involved. "You did ask him to get rid of someone he cares about, you know?"

Peter frowned as he fixed his gaze on the counter. Pietro could tell he was feeling a bit guilty now that it had laid it out like that. Honestly, the demand was probably a spur of the moment thing. If they'd let Peter calm down, maybe he wouldn't have asked for Quill to be removed.

When Pietro determined that Peter wasn't going to respond to his question, he left the tavern. From there, he made his way to Stephen's house. It didn't take long for him to realize that something was off. "Stephen?" Pietro called cautiously, stepping further into the house.

No response.

Pietro noticed that a few items in the house had been knocked over or broken. A slight panic started to set in as he made his way from room to room. When he didn't find Stephen on the first floor, he went upstairs. That's when he found the door to Quill's room torn clean off. Pietro checked that one first and found Stephen sitting on the bed, staring at the wall with his clothes in tatters. "Stephen, hey," Pietro started, going over to him. After doing a quick check to make sure that Stephen wasn't physically hurt, Pietro asked, "what happened here?"

Stephen's expression soured. "He left."

"Quill? Yeah. You sent him to Carol's, right?"

"No. He left."

"But... he shouldn't have been able to get past the barrier."

"He drugged me and got me to take it down myself."

"Ah," Pietro said, unsure what else to say. That explained the damage around the house. Stephen must have changed into his werewolf form at some point. Whatever Quill used had messed Stephen up pretty bad. "You didn't end up hurting him, did you?"

"I... don't think so. Not physically anyway."

Pietro decided not to ask what that meant. Stephen looked like he was beating himself up over it enough already. "What do we do? Should we try tracking him down?"

"No," Stephen said quietly, "just... let him be." Stephen stood up and headed towards the hallway. He hesitated at the doorway and added, "I should have given him his freedom when he asked for it."

Pietro sighed. He wasn't sure he was comfortable with that. He'd keep Stephen's secret, of course, but... Quill was an omega. Could they really afford to just let him go? Pietro's gaze moved towards the dresser. He noticed that the mirror he'd set there earlier was gone. "He took the mirror?"

Stephen turned. "What mirror?"

"The one from the shop. I, uh, kind of gave it to him without telling you. I was going to mention it, but... things happened. Anyway, if Quill has it on him, you could probably talk to him. If you wanted to."

Stephen paused for a moment to consider his options. "Go get Peter and bring him back here," Stephen said, "I'll be done by the time you return."

"Yeah. You got it," Pietro replied with a nod.

\------------------------

Stephen sighed and stared into the downstairs mirror. He had no idea what he was going to say to Quill. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave things as they were. Saying something had to be better than saying nothing, right? He'd regret it if he wasted this opportunity. That in mind, he focused on Quill's mirror and cast the spell. What he saw first were floorboards. It seemed that Quill had set it on the ground face down to avoid anyone peeking in on where he was. "Quill," Stephen tried, "are you there?"

He waited a moment. It was very possible that Quill wouldn't respond. Maybe that would be better. Stephen was about to end the spell when Quill finally decided to reply. "Yeah. I'm here."

Stephen went quiet. Quill must have thought he'd ended the spell because he picked up the mirror to check if Stephen was there. Stephen wasn't sure if he was sad or happy to see Quill's face. "Sorry," Stephen sighed, "I'm not entirely sure what I want to say."

"Well," Quill started shyly, "I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to yell at me."

Did he want to yell at Quill? Anger wasn't something he'd really felt in this particular situation. Disappointment in the fact that Quill had stolen from him, yes, but anger... no. A part of him felt that he should have seen it coming. Quill's intentions had been clear from the very start. It was his fault for letting his guard down. And honestly, what other choice had he given Quill? "I don't want to yell at you," Stephen said, "I... want to apologize."

"Apologize? For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I almost raped you."

"Yeah, because of what I did," Quill pointed out, "I'm the one that crossed that line. And I'm really sorry about that, by the way. I couldn't think of anything else and... Well, I knew it'd be bad, but I didn't think it'd be that bad."

"It could have ended up being a lot worse."

"...Yeah," Quill said, deflating slightly, "I know that now."

A moment of silence passed between them before Stephen cleared his throat and spoke up again. "I guess the other thing I wanted to tell you was that I'm not going to chase after you."

"Do you actually mean that?"

"Yes."

"What about the whole needing omegas thing?"

"We do need them, but... let's face it, you were never going to cooperate," Stephen said with a wry smile. It was an attempt at humor that he wasn't sure Quill was in the mood to appreciate.

Quill gave Stephen a brief smile in return, but it quickly faded. "You never actually needed me to cooperate," Quill said sadly, "you or any other alpha could have forced me into it at any time."

"Yes," Stephen admitted.

"Would you have? If I had continued to resist?"

"No."

"Would the other alphas have?"

"They aren't supposed to and I do not believe them to be the type, but it has happened in past generations. And there are clan members who actually support such practices. To them, nothing matters but strengthening the bloodline. In any case, that's not your problem anymore."

"True."

"I would recommend leaving the city as soon as possible. With the sixth clan operating under our noses, it's not safe for you to stay."

"That was my plan," Quill admitted, "I'll probably end up selling the mirror too."

"I figured as much. I assumed this would be the last time we'd speak to each other."

"...Yeah," Quill said. He sounded a little sad about that. It was possible that was just wishful thinking on Stephen's part though. "Stephen, there's something I should've told you awhile ago."

"What's that?"

"I lied to you when we first met, when I said that I wasn't after anything in particular. I was supposed to get my hands on a genology record."

"...I see." Stephen kept his tone even. That news was alarming though.

"It might have something to do with the sixth clan and it might not. I never met the person offering the job. If you talk to Yondu, he might be able to give you some information. He'll probably want some more units for his trouble though."

"I'll look into it."

Quill nodded. "Alright then. I guess that's it."

"Take care of yourself, Quill."

"You too, Stephen."

Stephen ended the spell there and let out a sigh. He was glad he'd chosen to talk to Quill, but now that their conversation had ended, he felt... empty. Like he was already feeling Quill's absence. Well, it was a pain he'd just have to learn to endure. Quill had made his choice and Stephen honestly couldn't blame him. What did Stephen have to offer that was more appealing than freedom?

\------------------------

Quill ended up sleeping in. It was probably after noon by the time he finally woke up. It was hard to tell considering how overcast it was today. He stifled a yawn and then forced himself to get up. He couldn't just lie around forever. It was time to pack up and leave. He put on his jacket and tucked the mirror away in his pocket. Honestly, those were the only things worth taking. At least he wouldn't have to worry about lugging anything heavy around. It might be a little hard to make do until he sold off the mirror, but he'd endured less ideal conditions before. The last item on his to do list was to make sure he left a note for Yondu somewhere it'd be found. The most obvious place was probably on top of the crate. That done, Quill let out a sigh and decided to take one last look at the view of the cityscape from inside the clock tower. He was going to miss this city.

Just as he was about to turn away, a large explosion went off near one of the factories. Quill snapped to attention and, once he'd worked through his surprise, realized it was the one that Steve would have been working at. All of Quill's previous plans were tossed aside as he darted down the stairs two at a time. There was no way he could leave now. Not until he knew Steve was okay.

Quill hastily made his way towards the now burning factory. He had to force his way through a crowd of onlookers to reach a few people he recognized from his short stint as a factory worker. Quill rushed the nearest one and asked, "where's Steve?"

"I-I don't know," the guy responded, clearly flustered by the situation. He wasn't going to be any help. Quill moved on to the next one.

"Have you seen Steve?"

Quill got a few more negative responses before he found someone that had actually seen Steve. "He was fine when I last saw him, but..."

"But what?!" Quill demanded.

"He went back in to help the others."

Of course he fucking did. That idiot had absolutely no sense of self preservation! Quill muttered to himself as he headed towards the building.

"It's too dangerous!"

Duh. Like he didn't already know that. But no way in hell he was leaving Steve behind. He made his way into the building and was instantly barraged by a wave of heat. Everything around him was covered in tongues of orange flame. "Steve," Quill called out. He regretted it immediately as he accidentally inhaled an uncomfortable amount of smoke. After a fit of coughing, Quill forced his way further into the building.

"Leave him! There's nothing we can do," a voice came from up ahead.

"But he came back for us. We have to--" A piece of the roof fell with a sickening crackle, making the second speaker reconsider his options. "You're right. We have to get out of here."

Quill ran into them moments later. The workers both flashed him guilty looks, but continued their way past him. Quill knew there was no point in asking for their help. They'd already made their decision. When he got to where he assumed the two workers were previously, he saw that they'd been talking about Steve. He was passed out under a heavy wooden beam that must have fallen from the roof.

If those two guys weren't able to move it, he probably wouldn't be able to either. Quill checked his surroundings, trying to come up with a plan. Anything that might have normally given him an idea was covered in fire. Quill bit his lip and tried moving the beam anyway until he came up with something better. He was reminded he had the mirror in his pocket when it pressed into his stomach. That was it! Stephen could use a portal to get to the factory and then lift the beam as a werewolf. All Quill had to do was get ahold of him. He pulled his Jacket off, took out the mirror, and cast the spell. "S-Stephen," Quill sputtered. The smoke was making it hard to talk. "Please. I need your help."

Pietro was the one that showed up in the mirror. "Quill?" he asked, eyes growing wide as he took in the burning building in the background, "what's going on?"

"There was an explosion by the factory Steve works at. He's stuck and I can't get him out."

"Fuck. That looks really bad."

"Can you get Stephen? I need him to make a portal and help me get Steve out."

"I can't, Quill. Stephen left the house to go talk to Yondu."

"Okay. Then how about another alpha with the ability to make portals?"

"Stephen and Wong are the only ones that can do that and neither of them are options right now! You need to get out of there."

"I'm not leaving Steve behind."

"If you stay, you are going to die."

"I'll... figure something else out."

"Quill!"

"I said I'm not leaving him and I meant it."

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Wait! I might have an idea," Pietro said. He cut the spell off there. Quill hoped whatever Pietro was doing would work-- and that it'd be quick. Steve and him didn't have a lot of time. 

Quill tried pushing the beam again. This time, he ended up sliding on something slick in the process. Quill panicked for a moment thinking that it might be oil, but when he took a closer look, he realized it was something he wanted to see even less. Blood. Steve's blood. The possibility that he was already dead flashed through Quill's mind, but he refused to believe it. "That can't be true," he muttered to himself desperately as he pressed against the beam with all his might. Whatever Pietro was doing was going to work. They were going to get Steve out of here and he was going to be fine. That's the way it had to be. The flames rose higher as smoke filled more of the room. Quill's body was feeling weaker and weaker.

Then, something violently yanked off a chunk of the roof and dropped down. As some of the smoke cleared, Quill noticed that it was another werewolf-- larger than Stephen with an even more muscular build and golden fur. "I've got it from here," the werewolf said, stepping towards the beam. It lifted it with ease and flung it across the room. Quill put one of Steve's arms around his shoulder and stood him up. A small moan escaped his lips, sending an instant ripple of relief through Quill's mind. Steve wasn't dead. Not yet anyway.

The werewolf crouched down and had Quill put Steve on its back. Once Steve was secured, the werewolf climbed out the way it had entered. Less than a minute after, it came back for Quill. One slightly unnerving ride later and the three of them were all situated on a nearby rooftop a safe distance away. The werewolf switched back into a man with shoulder length blond hair and an ideal physique that Quill hadn't actually thought existed outside of romance novels. This new alpha immediately went over to Steve and checked his pulse. Not satisfied with the results, he started pressing on Steve's chest.

"He's not breathing?" Quill asked in a frantic tone.

"No," the man responded. He pressed down one more time before leaning over and putting his lips onto Steve's. He blew into his mouth and then returned to pressing down on his chest. It took several more uncomfortable cycles before Steve coughed and opened his eyes.

"Why are you naked?" Steve asked weakly, unable to focus properly.

"You have bigger things to worry about, my friend," the alpha said with a chuckle. He clapped Steve on the shoulder and then lifted up Steve's shirt. Steve may have lost a lot of blood, but apparently he was still cognizant enough to be embarrassed. Quill figured he'd gotten the wrong idea in the half a second it took for him to realize he had a fairly significant wound on his stomach that his savior was now inspecting. "It looks like you'll live though. You bled a lot, but this wound isn't as bad as it seems. We should have plenty of time to get you to a proper healer."

Steve leaned back and sighed. "I thought I was done for for sure."

"You would have been if it weren't for this guy, asshole!" Quill shouted angrily. Now that he knew Steve was going to be okay, his worry had been immediately replaced by agitation. "And for what? To save a couple of ingrates that left you to die?" Yeah, they might not have had any realistic alternatives, but that didn't mean that Quill couldn't be mad at them.

"You saw them get out then? Good."

"You're infuriating sometimes, you know that?"

"I know," Steve smiled, "thanks for bearing with me, Quill." Steve then turned his face towards his savior and added, "and thank you too, naked stranger."

"I prefer Thor, but I suppose that works," he replied with a hearty grin. Thor, huh? That was the name of Storm Clan's leader, right? He was one of the alphas looking to claim an omega. There was no way he hadn't noticed what Quill was. That meant that Quill probably wasn't getting out of being dragged back into all of the clan drama. Well, Steve was safe. That's all that mattered right now.

"Hey, Quill!" Pietro's voice came from the mirror. Quill pulled it out immediately, ignoring the confused look on Steve's face. "Oh, thank goodness. I take it Thor made it in time?"

"Yeah. He did. Steve and I are both okay thanks to you and him."

"You had me really worried, you know? I--"

"Is that Quill?" Stephen's voice came from somewhere behind Pietro. Quill supposed he must have just gotten back from talking with Yondu.

"Uh, yeah. There was... a bit of an incident."

Stephen quickly made his way into view, actual concern showing on his face. Quill was a little happy to see that. "What happened?" Stephen asked, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but there is some stuff I probably need to tell you."

Thor looked over Quill's shoulder and said, "perfect timing, Stephen. We could really use one of your healing spells." Stephen winced upon seeing Thor. Thor didn't have to say his next line for Stephen to know what was coming. "And I think you have some explaining to do."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... Long time no see. Sorry guys. I got distracted by video games and apparently don't know what moderation is. But I am alive and am trying to get back into updating my stories on a more regular basis. Wish me luck. :P

"So," Quill started. He was currently alone with Stephen in one of Storm Clan's guest rooms. Well, alone with Stephen and an unconscious Steve. Thor had left the three of them on their own after setting Steve down on the bed so that he could go fetch some clothes. Quill thought it was a bit of a shame, but there were definitely more important things to think about right now than how incredibly good looking Thor was. And, since Steve was out of danger now, Quill's thoughts naturally turned to what would happen to Stephen. "How bad is it?"

"You don't need to worry. Steve is fine," Stephen said, keeping half of his focus on the spell he was in the middle of casting. "Even if I stopped now, he'd heal on his own at this point."

"That's good. I wasn't talking about Steve though," Quill said, "this will probably sound kind of bad, but I kind of stopped worrying about him the second I saw you. I guess I was just confident that you'd be able to fix everything."

"I can't fix everything, Quill."

"O-of course not. I didn't mean it like that. I just..."

"You realize that you could have died, right?" Stephen asked sharply.

"Yes," Quill sulked. He could already sense the oncoming lecture. And yeah, maybe he deserved one, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear it.

"You deliberately put yourself in a dangerous situation that could have easily resulted in your death. Do you realize how lucky you were? If Pietro hadn't been able to get a hold of Thor-- hell, if you hadn't been able to contact Pietro in the first place! You would have died and there's nothing I would have been able to do about it. I don't know any magic that can fix that."

Normally, Quill would have reacted defensively and tried to argue back, but that didn't seem like the right thing to do here. Stephen had been worried about him and the last thing Quill wanted to do right now was get into a fight with him. That in mind, he decided on a less aggressive response. "I'm sorry," Quill replied, "all I wanted to do was help Steve."

"I know," Stephen said in a softer tone, "just... promise me you'll never do something that dangerous again."

Quill hesitated. He would have liked to put Stephen's mind at ease by making that promise, but he had the feeling he'd end up breaking it at some point. "I... can't," Quill said finally, deciding he'd rather be honest with Stephen, "I get that I'm an omega and that means I--"

"This isn't about you being an omega," Stephen interrupted sternly, "I'm asking you to promise because you are important to me. As a person. Your status as an omega is only a secondary consideration."

Quill could feel the heat rise in his face at that comment. He was definitely blushing. "Sorry. I still can't," Quill said, avoiding eye contact, "I'd never keep that promise and I don't think I should lie to you by pretending that I would."

Stephen let out a resigned sigh. "Can you at least promise to try to be a little more careful then?"

"That I can do."

"Good. I'll be holding you to that," Stephen said. He hesitated a moment and then added, "and Quill... despite my current tone, I am glad that I got to see you again."

Quill frowned, "even if I end up getting you killed?"

"That wouldn't be your fault. I had the chance to tell them about you earlier and I didn't take it. Whatever happens next is on me."

"They won't really execute you, right?"

"I don't think it'll come to that, but it's not an impossibility."

"Then..." Quill thought it over for a minute before looking Stephen in the eye and saying, "we should run away together. I bet you could take us somewhere nobody could find us. And I could teach you how to survive on the streets. I know you're used to a certain level of comfort, but--"

"Quill," Stephen interrupted, "I appreciate the thought, but I can't. I have a responsibility to my clan. I'm pretty sure I'm too old to learn how to be a decent thief anyway."

"Are you kidding me? You'd already make a great thief without learning anything from me. I might have a few skills, but you have magic. We'd be an unstoppable duo."

Stephen chuckled.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are. Thank you, Quill."

It was still a no then. Quill frowned. Why'd Stephen have to be so stubborn? Was his duty to his clan really more important than ensuring his own survival? Quill couldn't understand it. He sighed and leaned back in his chair as Stephen turned his attention back to Steve. The two sat in silence for a moment until Stephen completed the spell.

"I'm finished," Stephen said, "Steve should be back to normal now. We will have to tamper with his memories before we send him home though."

"Do we really have to do that?" Quill asked.

"He saw Thor in his werewolf form. We don't have a choice."

"He didn't see Thor in his werewolf form," Quill corrected, "Steve didn't come to until we were on the roof. By then, Thor had changed back into his human form."

"Hm. Even if that's true, it'd be hard to explain why Thor was naked."

"No, it won't. Steve lost a lot of blood. If he brings it up, we can just tell him he was probably hallucinating the whole Thor being naked part."

"So instead of erasing a bit of his memory, you want to convince your friend that he's crazy."

"I don't think imagining Thor naked is all that crazy."

"That so?" Stephen asked, not bothering to hide the annoyed expression on his face.

"I mean, come on. You have to admit he's, well, you know..."

"I don't know."

"Attractive. Like, really attractive. There's no way you--"

"Did I miss anything?" Thor's voice suddenly came from behind. Quill almost fell off his chair in surprise as Stephen turned to look at Thor.

Stephen shrugged and replied in a casual tone, "just Quill commenting on how incredibly good--"

Quill immediately sprung forward and clapped both hands over Stephen's mouth, practically ending up in Stephen's lap in the process. "Come on! You were really going to just blurt it out like that?"

Stephen laughed, amusement transparent on his face as he pulled Quill's hands away. "How incredibly good I am at magic," Stephen finished smugly. Stephen turned back towards Thor and added, "he's actually very easy to impress."

"It's not my fault I just recently learned that magic existed," Quill grumbled. Anyone would be impressed. He supposed he should just be happy that Stephen didn't tell Thor what they'd actually been talking about when he walked in. It was rather cruel of Stephen to pretend that he was going to in the first place though. Quill sent a steady glare Stephen's way that Stephen completely ignored.

"Even if you do know about magic, Stephen's abilities are pretty incredible," Thor offered with a shrug. He then looked past them over to Steve on the bed. "How's our patient doing, by the way?"

"He's fine," Stephen replied, "just sleeping."

Thor nodded. "Good. I guess that means we can start focusing on the bigger issue."

"By bigger issue you mean me, don't you?" Quill asked with a frown.

"Well, yes," Thor said, seemingly regretting his word choice, "not to imply that your existence is a problem. It's just a surprise."

"We should call the other clan leaders," Stephen said, getting up from his chair, "if I'm going to explain the situation, I'd rather only do it once."

"Fair enough," Thor nodded. "Quill can stay with Loki until our meeting is over."

"Hold on. Shouldn't I be a part of this meeting?" Quill asked, "I mean, it is about me."

"It... doesn't really work that way," Stephen said.

"Meetings like this are between alphas only," Thor explained.

"Well, that is complete bullshit," Quill said bluntly.

"Quill," Stephen sighed, "could you please just cooperate for now?"

Quill crossed his arms. Cooperating was the last thing he wanted to do, but Stephen had asked him to and he had even used the word please. "Fine," Quill replied, "I'll play along for now." He refused to be happy about it though. Quill looked Thor's way and added, "but know this: if anything bad happens to Stephen, I swear I will raise so much hell that you and the rest of the clan leaders will regret ever finding out about me."

"You're threatening an alpha?" Thor asked with a chuckle.

"You'd better believe I am," Quill said in a challenging tone. He may not be able to do anything to them physically, but he could be unbelievably annoying when he set his mind to it.

"You should take him seriously," Stephen said, "he will get the better of you if you underestimate him. I learned that the hard way."

That seemed to pique Thor's curiosity. "Really? He got the better of you?"

"As much as I'd like to just forget about it, I'm sure it will come up in our meeting," Stephen said with a defeated sigh. Quill wasn't happy about that either. Still, if telling the clan leaders what he'd done to Stephen granted the alpha some leniency, his shame was a small price to pay. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this over with."

"Alright. I'll take Quill over to Loki's room and introduce them to each other. In the meantime, you can go ahead and start contacting the others."

"Sounds good."

"What about Steve?" Quill asked.

"I'll have Brunnhilde keep an eye on him," Thor said reassuringly, "we can have a proper chat with your friend once he's woken up. For now though, let's let him have his rest."

Quill supposed that was a satisfactory solution. For now.

"This way, if you please," Thor said, gesturing towards the door. Quill glanced back at Stephen who nodded. Quill didn't really want to leave him behind, but there wasn't really much of a choice. He'd just have to somehow deal with not knowing his fate for however long it took them to have their meeting. Stalling wasn't going to change things. That in mind, Quill passed Thor by and entered the hallway.

He'd noticed it when they first walked in, but only now did Quill really get to appreciate how luxurious Thor's home was. It was built like a palace. Everything from the gold walls to the large scale windows and red carpets radiated wealth. If Thor hadn't just saved Steve's life, Quill might have been tempted to steal something.

"I haven't thanked you for saving me and Steve, have I?" Quill asked, a bit ashamed that the thought had only just occurred to him. In fairness, a lot had happened. Still...

"Don't worry about it," Thor said dismissively, "I'm just glad I made it in time."

"It's kind of a miracle that you did. Things were looking pretty dire back there."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you ran into a burning building."

"Stephen already gave me the lecture. I don't need to hear it from you too," Quill groaned, "it's not like I make a habit of running into burning buildings in the first place, alright?"

"I should hope not," Thor chuckled. Any further conversation they might have had on that subject was interrupted when Thor caught sight of a fierce looking woman with darker skin. "Ah, perfect timing. Brunnhilde," Thor said, catching her attention, "think you could do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor," Brunnhilde replied. She didn't pay Quill much mind. Apparently a cursory glance was all it took for her to decide she was uninterested.

"We've got a human guest staying with us down the hall. Mind keeping an eye on him? He's sleeping right now so he shouldn't give you too much trouble."

"Alright. I'll do it," Brunnhilde said, "but you're paying for drinks later."

"Sure thing," Thor agreed. That decided, Brunnhilde changed course and headed toward the guest room. Quill watched her go for a moment before realizing that Thor had started moving again. He quickened his pace to catch up with the alpha. The two walked in silence for a moment before Thor brought up a new subject. "You and Stephen seem to get along pretty well."  
Quill tried to keep his reply casual. "I guess."

"I don't think I've ever seen him act quite like that around someone. Maybe Wong, but..." Thor thought his response over before clarifying, "it wasn't quite the same. I guess it's more like a mix of the way he is around Wong and the way he is around Wanda."

"So... like his student?" Quill frowned, trying to understand. Unfortunately, he didn't know enough about Wong, Wanda, or Stephen's relationships with them to come up with more than that.

"Right. You don't actually know either of the people I mentioned, do you?"

"Stephen's mentioned them, but not really. I know Wong normally lives at Stephen's house and that Wanda was learning magic from him at one point, but that's about it."

"Wong is Stephen's best friend. He doesn't talk a lot, but Stephen doesn't put up any walls between them the way he tends to with other people. Stephen actually has a bit of a playful side around him, believe it or not. And Wanda, sure, she was his student, but there's a lot more to it than that..."

"Like what?" Quill asked. Thor now had 100% of his attention.

"I've probably said to much already," Thor said with an infuriating smile.

"You can't just lead me on like that!"

"If you're that curious, you can just ask Stephen about it later."

"Assuming there is a later before you guys lock me up in marriage hell."

Thor snorted at that. "Marriage hell?"

"What else would you call it?"

"Marriage?"

"That would make it sound like there was some redeeming aspect to it."

"There isn't?"

"Nope."

"But you could marry someone incredibly attractive like me," Thor said with a teasing grin.

"Y-you overheard me earlier?" Quill asked, turning a flustered red.

"Not on purpose, but yes. I did. Don't worry though. I actually found it flattering," Thor chuckled, "and I'm sorry I had to ruin it for you by going and putting clothes on." 

How was Quill supposed to respond to that? Luckily, Thor seemed to let him off the hook.

"This next one is Loki's room," Thor said, gesturing to a door where three men were standing guard. One was blond with a rather bold mustache, another one had long dark hair, and the final one was a little on the large side with red hair and an extensive beard. They greeted Thor enthusiastically as he approached.

"Frandal, Hogan, Volstagg. This is Quill. He's an omega," Thor said, gesturing to Quill.

The three of them immediately fell into a stunned silence. Quill supposed he should be used to that sort of response by now.

"I don't know a lot of the details yet," Thor continued, "but I'd like you three to look after him and Loki for a bit while we figure out what to do with him."

"You've got it, Thor," Frandal said with a determined nod.

"We'll protect them both with our lives," Hogun added seriously.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Thor smiled, "but thank you all." He turned back to Quill and asked, "well, are you ready to meet Loki?"

\------------------------

Quill's first impression of Loki was that he was the polar opposite of Thor. They were both attractive, of course, but in very different ways. While Thor was muscular with golden locks, Loki was lithe with black hair. Quill would say that he was more pretty than handsome. When they entered the room, Loki didn't bother looking up from the book he was currently in the middle of reading. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting me this time, brother."

"He can be a bit over dramatic sometimes," Thor whispered quietly to Quill.

Loki did look up at that, seemingly just now noticing Quill's presence. "A guest?" he asked, curiously.

"You could say that. Loki, this is Quill. He's an omega like you."

"Another omega?" Loki asked. Apparently that bit of information was intriguing enough to make him get up from his seated position and walk over to them. "How though?"

"Stephen thinks my parents were exiles," Quill explained quickly.

"Hm. It's a sound theory," Loki said, stopping for a moment to consider something. He looked Quill over more carefully and then asked, "but why bother with introductions? Are you marrying my brother or something?"

"I-it's not like that! We only just met," Quill stammered.

"Nothing like that has been decided yet," Thor explained, "the clan leaders need to have a meeting and I was hoping he could stay with you until we've figured out what we're going to do with him."

"I don't have a problem with that," Loki said with a dismissive shrug.

"Good. Then I'll see you two in a little bit," Thor said. He excused himself right after, leaving the room to Loki and Quill.

"So..." Loki started, "it was Quill, right?"

"That's right."

"As curious as I am about your whole... situation, I have somewhere I need to be."

Somewhere to be, huh? Loki hadn't exactly seemed eager to go somewhere when they first barged into his room. "That somewhere doesn't happen to be that meeting does it?" Quill asked.

Loki smiled. "Want to come?"

"Hell yes. How are we going to get past our babysitters though?"

"With intimate knowledge of this house's secrets and a bit of magic trickery."

"You know," Quill grinned, "I have a feeling you and me are going to get along great."

\------------------------

"Out of everyone here, you were the one I expected to have more common sense," Tony glowered. The other three kept quiet, but Stephen imagined their own thoughts on the matter weren't exactly positive. He just hoped they still had some sympathy left for him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'd bring it up when we had our next meeting," Stephen said, hoping his voice sounded calm. He was far from it, however. "That's no excuse though. I should have mentioned it when I had to contact everyone earlier."

"Why didn't you?" T'Challa asked with a stern gaze.

Stephen took a deep breath. Telling the complete truth was a bad idea, but he didn't want the lies hanging over him for the rest of his life-- however long or short that may be. "I liked having him around," Stephen admitted, "Quill is... challenging."

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?" Carol asked, cocking an eyebrow in concern.

How was he supposed to explain his feelings towards Quill properly? There were too many factors to sum up succinctly and most of the reasons he liked Quill would probably sound as contradicting as his previous statement. Once he realized that he was taking too long to answer, he sighed and settled for, "it's complicated."

"Do you love him?" Thor's question cut through Stephen's thoughts like a blade.

"I... do I love him?" Stephen repeated the question, completely dumbfounded by it.

"That is the question I asked."

Did he love Quill? He liked Quill. Enough to marry him even if that had been an actual option. He'd also reacted to Quill in a way that he'd never reacted to another omega before. None of that necessarily meant that he loved Quill though. Love was... something he'd given to someone he couldn't have a long time ago. Something he wasn't allowed to express. Something he had to let fester and rot in his heart until he'd gone numb to it. His relationship with Quill didn't feel like that, but... maybe... "No," Stephen said firmly. No good would come of admitting that he might love Quill. In the end, Quill was just another person he wasn't allowed to have. "I think that I liked that he took an interest in the things I was doing. Maybe I just enjoyed having someone to teach again."

"Which I suppose played into how he managed to get his hands on your potion ingredients," Tony commented. He didn't bother hiding the judgement in his tone. Tony was being a lot harsher today than usual. Stephen credited that to how he'd handled the Peter situation. So much for getting Tony's blessing. Honestly though, that part was a bit of a relief.

"Probably," Stephen replied with a resigned sigh.

"Let's lay off Stephen a bit regarding that, alright? If Quill managed to trick Stephen, I doubt the rest of us would have fared any better," Thor offered. Stephen felt a surge of gratitude towards the Storm Clan leader.

"You want to let him off the hook after everything he's done?" Tony asked.

"In this case, yes. Honestly, I don't think any of what he did sounds all that unreasonable. We have no proof that he wouldn't have eventually told us about Quill so why are we assuming the worst? I'm not against giving Stephen a slap on the wrist, but I don't think any extreme measures are required here."

"I agree," Carol spoke up, "and, even if we all believed that a harsh punishment was called for, we'd have to consider the political ramifications of removing Stephen from his position. We need people to see us united right now, not falling apart during the middle of a crisis."

Tony closed his eyes and sighed. "A good point, as always," he admitted grudgingly, "and it's not like I actually wanted Stephen removed from his position in the first place."

"Good," Thor smiled, "because I have it on good authority that our newest omega planned to riot if anything too bad happened to Stephen."

Stephen folded his hands in front of his mouth to hide a smile. Really, challenging an alpha... Quill was ridiculous sometimes. Stephen would be lying if he said he didn't get a warm, fuzzy feeling recalling the recent memory though.

"I think I have an idea in regards to Stephen's punishment," T'Challa interjected. The others went quiet, waiting for him to elaborate. "The issue is that Stephen kept the fact that Quill existed from us. At worst, it's because he was trying to keep the omega for himself. Therefore, I think an appropriate punishment is to take away his power to decide what happens to Quill. He shouldn't get to vote on any issue regarding who Quill is to be paired with."

It was a minor punishment in the grand scheme of things, but Stephen found the idea devastating. He didn't have the three votes for Quill. He never would have had them. Still, the fact that already unlikely scenario had been made even more impossible hit him in a way he hadn't expected.

"I'm comfortable with that," Carol said.

"Me too," Thor nodded.

"Tony?" T'Challa asked.

After taking another second to think it over, Tony said, "yeah. I think that's an acceptable solution."

T'Challa turned towards Stephen, "and you're okay with this outcome?"

"Yes," Stephen agreed. It didn't matter that he was getting off easy. He felt devastated. It was hard for him to pay attention to the rest of the meeting. He sunk into his chair, only half listening to the next part of the conversation. It wasn't until Tony was in the middle of wrapping the meeting up that he fully realized what they'd been talking about.

"So it's agreed," Tony said, "we'll decide which alpha Quill is going to during our next meeting."

"T-that's too soon," Stephen spoke up before he could think better of it.

"We realize that, but we need this situation dealt with so that we can focus our attention on the sixth clan business," Carol explained gently, "the only reason we aren't deciding this instant is so that Thor and T'Challa can privately make their cases to the rest of us. I'm sorry, Stephen, but this is the way it has to be."

No one argued with her. They were all set on this course of action. Whether Stephen liked it or not, Quill was going to be paired with either T'Challa or Thor at the end of the week.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am still alive. :O (Sorry for the long gap between updates)

"Well? What's the verdict?" Quill asked as soon as Thor and Stephen returned to Loki's room. He'd already heard the important bit about Stephen losing his vote thanks to the spying he'd done with Loki, but he still had to pretend he had no idea what was going on. And, in fairness, he had missed the last few minutes of the meeting seeing as they needed to head back before it was officially over to avoid getting caught.

"I'm not allowed to vote on any issue regarding who gets to claim you as their omega," Stephen answered, keeping his tone even. "It's a minor punishment, all things considered."

"And hopefully one that won't inspire a rebellion," Thor added with a smile.

"I'd rather there be no punishment at all," Quill replied, arms crossed, "but I won't cause any problems over it." As long as Stephen was safe, that was enough.

"Good. Unfortunately, that's not the only bit of business we have to wrap up."

"The council has decided to pair you with an alpha by the end of the week," Stephen explained.

"Like... to stay with?"

"To marry."

"Hold on! It's way too soon for something like that!"

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be given more time to get to know your potential partners, but we're in the middle of a crisis. The council wants this matter dealt with so we can focus our attention on the sixth clan."

Quill opened his mouth to object and then thought better of it. Nothing he said was going to change their minds. In that case, why waste his time? Quill's frown deepened as he replied with a short, "fine." 

"Fine?" Stephen asked, cocking a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah. Fine." He'd just run away from whoever he was paired with at his earliest convenience. That was Quill's current plan anyway. "Can we just go home now?"

Stephen sighed. "About that..."

"You'll be staying with Carol until the decision is made," Thor finished.

"Because apparently I can't be trusted to keep my hands off of you," Stephen added, a tinge of bitterness in his tone.

"Oh, come on!" Quill snapped, "what's the point in moving me anyway? It's just a couple of days and it's not like Stephen is some creeper! He got all shy just from seeing me naked!"

Thor looked at Stephen with a renewed interest. Stephen, on the other hand, turned red in embarrassment and stared rather intently at the wall nearest him.

"You're not exactly helping your argument," Loki chimed in with an amused smile.

"T-that's not-- it was an accident, okay? And I saw him naked first so we're even!"

Stephen groaned and pinched the space between his eyebrows. "It's been decided, Quill," Stephen said, "so can you please stop trying to defend me?"

"I just think it's a pain," Quill mumbled, "I'd have to move all my stuff."

"You mean your plant?"

"...Yeah."

"I'll have Pietro bring it by Carol's place later."

Sure, it had been a lame argument, but Quill had hoped that Stephen wouldn't be the one to challenge it. He sulked as he came to terms with the fact that he was going to be moving out of Stephen's place. Wherever Carol lived was bound to be nice, but it wouldn't be the same without Stephen there. He'd miss Pietro too.

"Fine," Quill said, resorting to his recently adopted automated response.

"Well, this has gone better than expected," Thor commented. "I guess now that we've got all that sorted out, we should go check in on your friend."

"Right, Steve! Do you think he's up yet?"

"We won't know unless we check."

"Hey, um, you guys won't mess with his memory, will you?"

Stephen let out a tired sigh and then turned to Thor. "He didn't see you in your werewolf form, did he?"

"I don't think so," Thor replied, "but wouldn't it be better to erase his memories anyway?"

"Quill's lost enough today. Can we please just give him this?"

Thor considered Quill for a moment. "Yeah, alright. It should be fine."

"Before you go," Loki interjected, going over to Quill, "you know the spell to call people on mirrors, right?"

"Um, yeah. That's how I got Thor to come save me and Steve," Quill answered, not quite sure where Loki was going with this.

"Good. Then you should use that spell to call me sometime. I get pretty bored, so it'll be nice to have someone else to talk to."

"Oh, sure. That'd be fun. Should I just think of this mirror over here when I do it?" Quill asked, gesturing to a standing mirror in the corner of Loki's room.

"That one is fine," Loki replied with a nod. He then leaned in and whispered into Quill's ear. "Don't forget that you can also use that spell to contact Stephen later, if you'd like." 

"What's this all about?" Thor asked curiously.

"Nothing," Loki smiled as he backed away from Quill and resumed a normal tone. "I was just promising Quill that I'd give him all the dirt I have on you."

"Please don't."

"Why not? There's a decent chance that he'll end up stuck with you. He should know what he's getting into beforehand."

The two continued bickering for awhile. Quill watched them until he realized that Stephen was staring at him. He then chanced a glance towards Stephen who responded by quickly looking away. Quill had caught it though. That serious, stoic expression he'd been holding onto for most of their conversation had slipped into a sad one. Quill was glad to see it. It meant that Stephen wasn't as content with the situation as he appeared. And, maybe it was callous to want that kind of reaction from Stephen, but Quill appreciated the confirmation that Stephen cared.

\------------------------

"About time you got back," Brunhilde told Thor as him, Stephen, and Quill approached the guest room where Steve was staying. "I was tempted to take out one of our guest's legs to keep him from moving around."

"Sounds like Steve," Quill said with a nod, "restless as always."

"A trait you both share, apparently," Stephen commented.

"I'm not as bad as he is!"

Stephen responded with a cold, disbelieving stare.

"Okay. Maybe I'm as bad as he is."

"At least we can take it as a good sign. Your friend must be feeling better if he's been giving Brunhilde a hard time," Thor said with a smile.

"Well, he's your problem now," Brunhilde shrugged and moved away from the door. As she left, she called back, "and don't forget that you owe me, Thor."

"You wouldn't let me."

"Damn straight."

Once she was gone, the three of them entered the room.

"Quill," Steve said, getting up from the bed too hastily and almost tripping in the process. Thor caught on to it the fastest and grabbed Steve by the arm just in time.

"Easy. You've been through a lot," Thor said gently.

"Right. Sorry," Steve said, before immediately turning his attention back to Quill. "Are you alright? I think I remember talking to you after we got out of the fire, but..."

"Huh? Me? I'm fine," Quill said, "you were the only one who got hurt."

"You're sure you're fine?"

"I'm sure. Worry about yourself for once, alright?"

Steve let out a relieved sigh and turned to Thor. "You, um... you were there too, right?" Steve asked, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. Quill figured he must be remembering Thor being naked. No wonder Steve was questioning his memory. Still, that was a good thing. It meant that it'd probably be pretty easy to convince Steve the blood loss was to blame for anything he remembered that was out of the norm.

"I was. And before you ask, I'm fine too. Like Quill said, you were the only one who got hurt."

"Thor is the one who came to our rescue, by the way. I would have never have gotten you out of there without his help," Quill pointed out.

"I owe you my life then," Steve told Thor, "I'm not sure how I'll repay you though."

"Oh, don't worry abo--"

Quill caught Thor's attention and shook his head. Steve would never just let a debt like that go. If Thor didn't ask for anything in return, Steve would go overboard trying to come up with some way to pay him back. It was asking a lot of Thor to interpret all that from just his gestures, but miraculously, Quill had somehow managed to convey that to him.

"How about this?" Thor course corrected, "buy me a drink sometime and we'll call it even."

"Sure. I can do that," Steve smiled.

"Great. Now, no rush, but if you think you need help getting home--"

"Oh, no. I'm good. I can get there myself," Steve said, "thank you though."

"Alright. I guess I'll see you later then," Thor replied, ending the statement with a friendly wink. Steve's face turned a little redder. It was weird seeing that kind of reaction from him, but Quill figured that nobody was completely immune to Thor's charm.

\------------------------

Carol's place turned out to be decent sized house overlooking the docks. It was more unassuming than the homes Quill had seen for the other clan leaders, but apparently Carol's territory also included a ship yard, a number of warehouses, a small tavern, and a light house. 

"Members of Star Clan live in places all across the city too," Carol explained as she gave Quill the tour, "we're a pretty varied bunch, but most of our money comes from transporting cargo on our ships."

"That is pretty cool," Quill said, genuinely impressed. "I've always wanted to sail on a ship."

"There's no feeling quite like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Carol smiled, "the wind blowing through your hair, the endless stretch of ocean on the horizon..."

"I hope you're not thinking about going off on some impromptu voyage without telling anyone again." The speaker, a woman with dark skin and short black hair, approached them with a smile.  
Carol matched her smile and strode over to her, placing a kiss on the woman's cheek once she was close enough. "I'd be sure to take you with me."

"Uh-huh. I've heard that one before," the woman rolled her eyes.

"Where's Lieutenant Trouble?"

"Oh, you know her. She's off asking Talos all sorts of questions again."

Carol finally turned towards Quill and said, "this is Maria Rambeau. If it wasn't obvious, she's one of my partners. Lieutenant Trouble is our daughter."

"Her real name is Monica," Maria clarified helpfully, "and you'll probably meet her at some point seeing as I'm the one who will be looking after you while you're here. I hope it won't be too much trouble."

"It should be fine," Quill said, "I actually get along with kids pretty well." As long as he wasn't actually responsible for their well being. Goofing off and playing games was one of Quill's specialties. Instilling moral values and making sure people ate their vegetables was not.

"Great. Then I think we'll all get along just fine."

"Think you can take it from here, Maria?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, I've got this. You go do whatever alpha business you've got to do."

"Thanks, love. And Quill, if you need anything, just ask. We'll do our best to accommodate you."

Quill debated asking for his freedom, but decided not to be an ass. That obviously wasn't something she'd be able to give him. "Got it."

Carol nodded and then headed down the hallway.

"So, pretty impressive, isn't she?" Maria asked Quill once Carol was out of sight.

"Honestly, all of the clan leaders I've met have been," Quill replied. That said, he didn't feel particularly attracted to Carol. There was definitely some kind of link there, but it wasn't strong the way it was with Stephen or even Thor. Quill guessed they just weren't as compatible for whatever reason. Which was fine, considering Carol already had several partners and wasn't interested in adding her name to his potential marriage candidates. Quill's thoughts drifted to wondering what T'Challa was like. Stephen had vouched for him, but Thor would be hard to beat. Of course, all of that only mattered if he actually planned to take the whole marriage thing seriously which he definitely didn't. Unless Stephen somehow... Quill frowned. That wasn't an option. Stephen had made that abundantly clear before he'd lost his vote. "Hey, um, can you tell me what T'Challa is like?"

"What is T'Challa like?" Maria repeated the question in a thoughtful tone.

"Yeah. I haven't gotten a chance to meet him yet, so I'm curious."

"He's handsome. In the opposite way Thor is. More like Stephen. Kind of that refined sort of handsome," Maria said, "he'll probably come off as a little too formal when you first meet him, but he can be fun when you get to know him better. You see that side of him more when he's around his sister, Shuri. The nice thing about him is that you know he'll respect and cherish whoever his partner ends up being. I'd say he's like an ideal prince from a fairy tale."

"That's some pretty high praise."

"He's earned it. Give him a shot, alright? You might end up liking him."

Maria had definitely piqued Quill's interest.

"And here's the room we've laid out for you," Maria said, coming to a halt in front of the door, "I'll be keeping guard out here. Also, full disclosure, we do have people watching your windows as a security precaution. You can draw the curtains if you'd like, but just know it's a thing. Anyway, you're free to spend your evening however you'd like."

So, basically, no escaping via the windows. Quill noted it. "I think I'd just like to get some rest. It's been a long day."

"Got it. I'll make sure you aren't disturbed."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Quill entered his room and immediately went to the windows. Out of curiosity, he tried looking for the guard detail Maria had mentioned. He did catch sight of one of them, but only because he knew to look. The rest eluded him. After searching for another minute or so, Quill gave up and drew the curtains. Thankfully, it looked like he was going to be allowed enough privacy to make some calls. It was probably too early to safely catch Stephen, but Loki might be available. And there were some things Quill would have liked to ask him. That in mind, Quill pulled out his mirror and cast the spell.

"You certainly don't waste any time," Loki replied with a smile once he came into view.

"Is that a bad thing?" Quill asked.

"No. I was being honest when I said I get bored. What can I do for you, Quill?"

"Well, I didn't call you with anything particular in mind. I do have some questions you might be able to answer though."

"Alright. Let's hear them."

There were a number of things that it'd be useful to get Loki's insight on, but there was one particular thing that had been nagging at the back of Quill's mind. "What is Wanda and Stephen's relationship like?"

"With everything going on, that's your most pressing question?" Loki chuckled.

"W-well, it's just... Thor mentioned that Stephen treats me in a way that's like a mix of the way he treats Wong and the way he treats Wanda. I guess I kind of want to know more about what that means."

"But you don't want to know about Wong?"

"I already know that him and Stephen are friends," Quill responded. He got the feeling that Loki was messing with him. He looked like he was enjoying himself far too much. "Can you please just give me a straight answer?"

"Fine," Loki said, "easier said than done though. Their relationship is a bit... complicated. They're childhood friends, of course, and Stephen taught her magic. The aspect of it you're probably the most interested in though is that Stephen was in love with her."

"O-oh," Quill stammered in lack of a better response. He tried focusing on the was part of the sentence. If it was in the past, he didn't have to worry about it, right? But what if it wasn't in the past? Stephen had said he'd pick Quill if he could pick any omega, but what if he'd only said that because Wanda was married. If she wasn't, would he have picked her? "Why'd he let Tony marry her then?"

"Alphas aren't allowed to marry omegas from their own clan. It's a rule that was established to make sure that no one clan ends up hording all of the omegas. And Wanda liked Tony. Stephen isn't petty enough to let his own feelings get in the way."

"That's... I don't know." Quill didn't know how to feel. Sorry for Stephen? Glad it didn't work out? Jealous of Wanda?

"It is what it is," Loki shrugged, "it's good news for you at least, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means that Stephen probably likes you the same way you like him-- assuming Thor knows what he's talking about, of course. Oh, and don't try to deny it. You wouldn't be asking about Stephen if you weren't at least a little interested in him."

Quill turned a dark shade of red, but he didn't deny it.

"Look, Quill," Loki continued, his tone shifting from smug to serious, "you're new to all of this so you need to be extra careful. You might genuinely like Stephen, but it might also be your reaction to him as an omega. Now, while you're away from him, will be a good time to sort out whether your feelings are real or not."

"It doesn't matter if my feelings are real or not," Quill said quietly, "I don't get to choose who I get paired up with."

"It does matter," Loki replied firmly, "you might not get to pick your alpha, but no one gets to decide who you love but you."

Quill found that oddly comforting. Sure, he wasn't looking forward to the endless pining holding onto those feelings was bound to lead to, but Loki had given him something he could control-- something that couldn't be taken away from. There was a sort of power in that.

\------------------------

"You want it here?" Pietro asked, carrying Peter's luggage into his new room. Quill hadn't been the only one that the council decided to move after hearing about what Stephen had done. They'd also made the decision to put T'Challa in charge of Peter. T'Challa had yet to make an appearance though as he was still dealing with the fallout from today's meeting. That meant that Shuri had been put in charge of making sure Peter got settled in. However, after escorting them all to Peter's room, she promptly dragged Bucky off to who knows where. That left Pietro alone with Peter-- a 'coincidence' that he was sure Shuri had planned.

"Um, yeah. That's fine," Peter replied. He definitely wanted to say something else, but he wasn't quite able to work up the nerve to do it.

"That should be the last of it," Pietro said, "if there's nothing else, I should probably head back to Stephen's place."

"Right..."

Pietro gave Peter another second before heading towards the door. Pietro was kind of glad Peter wasn't saying anything. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about what had happened between them. That topic wasn't safe.

"W-wait, there was something else," Peter spoke up at the last minute. "Could you tell Stephen I'm sorry?"

"For what?"

"For what happened with Quill. I didn't know he was an omega. Or that Stephen, you know, kind of liked him. I wouldn't have asked him to be my alpha if I did. I just... well, I thought the arrangement would be convenient for both of us, you know? Anyway, I'm going to ask Tony to give Stephen his vote."

"What?" Pietro asked, wide eyed.

"It's rare enough for two people who actually like each other to get paired up when it comes to alphas and omegas. I want to give them my blessing-- even if the odds are against them."  
Pietro smiled affectionately. Peter really was a good kid. "I'll tell him."

Peter nodded and blushed a light shade of red. Damn it, he really was cute. Pietro hated that he was thinking about it now. He'd been so good at compartmentalizing his feelings before he'd learned that Peter had a crush on him.

"What about you though? What are you going to do now?" Pietro asked.

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll end up with T'Challa or Thor-- depending on how things go for Quill."

"They aren't so bad."

"I know. And being with T'Challa means I'd be around Shuri all the time. That could be fun."

"True."

Peter frowned. "I guess we'll be seeing less of each other either way though..."

"I'll still come to visit."

"Yeah, but you won't come by as often. It was convenient for you when I was at Iron Clan because you had to visit Wanda anyway and if Stephen had been my alpha I'd have been able to see you all the time."

He wasn't wrong there. Pietro sighed and said, "it's probably for the best. Less chances for things to go wrong, you know?"

Peter startled Pietro by suddenly looking him directly in the eyes. Had he just said something weird? 

"Would things have gone wrong?" Peter asked.

"W-what do you mean?"

"I..." Peter trailed off into silence, unable to finish the thought. Instead, he reformed it into a new question. "I-If things were different, do you think you could have fallen in love with me?"

Ah, that was the trap he'd walked into. "Humoring that possibility won't do either of us any good."

"I know, but can you humor me anyway? It's okay if you don't feel the same. It'd be a relief even-- to know there wasn't a chance. I just... I'll keep obsessing over it if I don't know."

"I could have," Pietro admitted quietly after a long, awkward silence. He probably should have lied. It would have been the smart thing to do and Peter had gone out of his way to give him permission to do it, but he couldn't. Bottling things up, denying feelings... he'd seen what that had done to Stephen when he gave up on Wanda. Now he was probably going to see Stephen go through it all over again with Quill. He didn't want to go through that himself. Fuck it. If he was being honest right now, he might as well be completely honest. "I would have."

Peter immediately burst into tears. "It's not fair! Why do things have to be like this? Why did I have to be born an omega?"

Shit, that's not what Pietro meant to do. He reached out to Peter and then hesitated. But again, that reckless, honest feeling took over. He discarded his doubts and pulled Peter into a hug. Peter responded by wrapping his arms around Pietro immediately and sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry," Pietro said softly, "I--"

Peter looked up at him with his big, wet eyes and it was over. Pietro honestly wasn't sure who made the first move. All he knew was that a second later, his lips were on Peter's.

"Peter is fine, Bucky. No one is going to attack him in his room right this moment-- especially when Pietro is there to watch him," Shuri's voice came from the hallway. She was speaking louder than she probably would normally. Pietro got the sense that was to warn Peter that they were coming back. Pietro was thankful for it because if the two of them had gotten caught kissing, well, it'd probably be his head. And Magic Clan was in enough hot water already.

Peter and Pietro quickly pulled away from each other and pretended to be organizing Peter's luggage as Bucky barged into the room followed by Shuri. Pietro hoped he didn't look guilty. His heart was racing from the stress of almost being found out. Once he was sure Bucky wasn't on to him, he looked over at Peter. Peter flashed him a fond smile which sent Pietro's heart racing again for an all to different reason.

What had he gotten himself into?


End file.
